Palazzo Pitti Museums

A historic palace with world-class museums
Word to the wise: Look out for Pietro Perugino’s ‘Lamentation over the Dead Christ’ in the Palatine Gallery. Perugrino was Raphael’s mentor and this painting clearly demonstrates his influence.

An enormous Renaissance residence south of the River Arno, the Palazzo Pitti was originally built in 1458 as the townhouse of an ambitious Florentine banker, but is today one of Italy’s largest and most impressive museum complexes.
There are five museums in all: the Palatine Gallery, with artworks by the likes of Raphael, Rubens and Titian; the Gallery of Modern Art, which contains Italian works from the 18th century onwards; the Medici Treasury, which is home to priceless Medici family silver; the Porcelain Museum, which boasts some of the finest china in Europe; and the Costume Gallery, which contains over 600 items of Italian clothing from the last 500 years.

You can also learn more about prior residents of the palace by visiting the Royal Apartments - 14 magnificent rooms that are decorated with artistic Medici family portraits.