Florence - Palazzo Riccardi-Manelli (formerly Palazzo Grifoni)

This imposing palazzo in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is the seat of the provincial and regional governments of Florence and Tuscany. The three-story building dominates the square, with its fine dignified facade opposite the church of Santissima Annunziata.

Ugolino Grifoni, a wealthy official under Grand Duke Cosimo I, commissioned the architect Bartolomeo Ammanati to erect a palace over the top of old houses, a task which he skillfully accomplished between 1557 and 1563. The combination of red brick and predominantly light-gray stone is especially effective.