Pitti Palace

You are now standing in front of Pitti Palace. The original core of this stone colossus dates back to 1458. It was commissioned by a wealthy Florentine merchant, Luca Pitti, who wanted a private residence worthy of his immense fortune. Legend often attributes the design to Brunelleschi, but since the architect died twelve years before construction began, the authorship of the project remains a mystery to this day. Less than a century later, in 1549, the Pitti family went bankrupt, and the palace was purchased by Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. The building was then expanded into the luxurious official residence of the dynasty. Enlarged over the centuries by the Medicis and later by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the palace's destiny shifted once again in 1860 when it passed into the hands of the Crown of Italy. When Florence became the nation's capital, King Victor Emmanuel II moved in. Today, Pitti Palace has transformed into an incredible cultural complex housing five major museums, including the prestigious Palatine Gallery and the Treasury of the Grand Dukes. Finally, it is impossible to talk about the palace without mentioning the green masterpiece hidden right behind it: the Boboli Gardens. A true open-air museum dotted with grottoes and statues, this lush green jewel served as the ultimate model for grand Italian-style gardens across Europe!