One of Florence’s most stunning art collections reopens after five years of restoration
Opened for the first time again after a five year restoration, the Royal Apartments at Palazzo Pitti are giving visitors to Florence an opportunity to return to one of the city’s most stunning art collections. The Pitti palace is an imposing wall of sandy colored stone and its labyrinth of rooms can feel no less intimidating once you’re inside. Here is my short guide how to make the most of your time at Palazzo Pitti and not miss any of its incredible treasures.
Royal Apartments
The royal apartments reveal the changing tastes of Pitti’s princely inhabitants. First occupied by the Gran Principe Ferdinando de Medici, the apartments were then renovated by the Habsburg-Lorraine who ruled Tuscany from the 18th to 19th centuries and finally in 1865 by the Kings of Italy (the Royal House of Savoy). Now, a walk through these 14 rooms reveal sumptuous jewel-tone wallpaper and furniture, monumental chandeliers, tables in Florentine Mosaic and most importantly, a glimpse at what it might have felt like to be a royal in Florence.
Palatine Gallery
The lavishly decorated Palatine Gallery served as the primary residential area for the Medici dukes and is now an immersive artistic experience. Paintings cover the walls from floor to ceiling with no specific theme or chronological order while elaborate ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona create a stunning picture of the Medici wealth and prestige. Here you will find works like Raphael’s “La Velata” and “The Madonna della seggiola,” and pieces by Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Titian, Rubens and Canova.
Napoleon’s Bathroom
For a little foray into French imperial design, don’t miss Napoleon’s Bathroom on your visit to the Palatine Gallery. The only architectural addition Napoleon left at Pitti Palace was this neoclassical room with Egyptian style decorations and polished marble.
White Room
Site of the first major Italian fashion show in 1951, Palazzo Pitti’s White Room was designed by the Habsburg-Lorraine at the end of the 1700s and offers a very different style to the rest of the palace. Enormous glass chandeliers from Murano light the room and show off the white stucco moldings and reliefs. Currently on display (until March 2025) is the latest acquisition by the Uffizi Galleries: The Witch by Salvator Rosa. In dramatic contrast to the delicate beauty of the room this painting is shockingly unexpected and a powerful addition to the museum collection.
Costume Gallery
Newly opened again in 2024 after a five year restoration, Pitti Palace’s Costume Gallery is one of the most important collections dedicated to the history of fashion in Italy. The extensive selection features pieces from the 16th to the 21st century including clothing worn by the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine and even Savoy families. One of the most impressive parts of the exhibition are the recovered funerary clothes of Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici and his wife Eleanora di Toledo. Original works by Emilio Pucci, Valentino, Armani, Versace and more will take you through centuries of fashion.
Modern Gallery
Upstairs on the second floor, visitors will find the Modern gallery collection featuring Italian works from the late 18th to early 20th century. Highlights from this enormous collection of hundreds of paintings include many pieces by the Macchiaioli movement (sometimes referred to as Italian impressionists) and pieces by Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega and Camille Pissarro.
Ammannati Courtyard
This imposing courtyard was one of the first 16th century renovations on Palazzo Pitti, designed by Bartolomeo Ammannati for duchess Eleanora di Toledo. The dramatic mannerist columns were meant to impress and intimidate visitors to the Palazzo and it still does so today.
Treasury of the Grand Dukes
Often overlooked, this part of the Pitti collection is not to be missed. These rooms, entirely frescoed on the occasion of the wedding of Duke Ferdinand II and Vittoria della Rovere in 1637 were used as the summer residence for the Medici. Trompe L’oeil frescoes create a completely immersive and lavish environment through which you reach an eye popping collection of semi-precious stone vases, rock crystals, and amber and ivory carved curiosities.
Boboli Garden
The vast land bought for the gardens was purchased from the Bogoli family, hence the name Boboli though once the Medici set their sites to it they would not rest until they had designed an enormous, monumental garden. The gardens can be seen from the windows of the Palatine Gallery and Modern gallery but they are best explored on foot. Don’t expect many flowers here. The Gardens are laid out mostly in box hedges, fountains and forested paths and offer views over Pitti Palace and the city of Florence for those who are up for the climb!
INSPIRATION
Boboli Gardens in Florence
Vasari Corridor
Last but not least, the recently re-opened Vasari Corridor can be spotted from inside Boboli Gardens. This is where the Medici would have transited from one residence in Palazzo Vecchio, across the river all the way to Palazzo Pitti. Today, visitors who start their visit of the corridor in the Uffizi Gallery will exit in the Boboli Gardens and will be escorted to the Ammannati courtyard. If you’d like to visit the Pitti and Boboli as well, be sure to get a ticket!
INSPIRATION
Vasari Corridor Re-Opens to the Public: All You Need to Know
Piazza de’ Pitti, 1
Opening Time: Tue-Sun 8.15am-6.30pm
Tickets: Full ticket: €16; Pitti + Boboli: €22
A reservation is required for the visit to the Royal Apartments, which can be made directly on the day of entry at the ticket office or at the time of purchasing the ticket online.
