Palazzo Medici-Riccardi

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Palazzo Medici-Riccardi Description

The majestic bulk of the Palazzo Medici, opposite the church of San Lorenzo, bespeaks the power of a ruling dynasty. At the same time its limitation to bare essentials testifies to the wise lack of ostentation of the Medici family at that time. They presided over a democratic-republican community and would never have chosen to behave like city kings.

The palace was built between 1444 and 1464 by Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder. All the Medici princes lived and ruled here until Cosimo I (1540) moved into the Palazzo Vecchio. In 1655 it was acquired by the Riccardi family who enlarged it by extending the side of the palace; in 1818 it was bought by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Today it houses the Medici Museum (ground floor), the

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Hobbies & Activities category: Castle, chateau, palace; Architecture - Renaissance

Palazzo Medici-Riccardi Highlights

Biblioteca Riccardiana

The Galleria leads to the Biblioteca Riccardiana e Moreniana. The exhibition room is worth seeing. The vaulted ceiling is painted with frescoes by Luca Giordano (1683) on the allegorical theme of

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Courtyards

The archway leads into the square courtyard, with twelve marble medallions above the colonnade and the statue of Orpheus by Baccio Bandinelli, then comes the smaller garden courtyard.

Exterior

An interesting feature of the facade is that each of the three storys is very different from the others. The windows on the ground floor are supported on brackets that look as though they are

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Galleria di Luca Giordano

The Galleria di Luca Giordano holds the Neapolitan artist's important fresco "the Apotheosis of the Medici Dynasty" (1682/1683).

Medici Museum

The interior of the palace was altered by the Riccardi family, and there are only a few of the original Medici rooms - on the ground floor, where the Medici Museum is, and on the first floor. The

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Palace Chapel

A stairway leads up from the main courtyard to the palace chapel on the first floor. It was designed by Michelozzo and the wall frescoes, the "Procession of the Magi to Bethelehem", are by Benozzo

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Address

Palazzo Medici-Riccardi
Via Cavour 1
I-50100 Florence
Italy

http://www.palazzo-medici.it

Hours