Palazzo Medici Riccardi – Step into the home of the most powerful family in Florence during the Renaissance! Want to know more? Then read the article.
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The Importance of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The Medici family is known for being one of the main contributors to the beauty and art in Florence during their reign.
How could I not take the kids there, to their home in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, to see in person the first palace of the Medici, where Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo the Magnificent lived?
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is the house where artists like Donatello, Michelangelo, Paolo Uccello, and Botticelli worked. The home of the Renaissance. Where it all began.
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The Construction of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The location of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi was strategic for the time.
The main entrance was on the widest street in Florence back then, where goods and commerce passed: the so-called Via Larga, known today as Via Cavour. The second entrance is on a narrower street, Via Ginori, almost opposite the Basilica of S. Lorenzo.
The patriarch of the Medici’s wealth, Cosimo the Elder, wanted a comfortable residence but one that wouldn’t attract too much attention, to avoid arousing the envy of the people due to his political interests.
Therefore, he discarded Brunelleschi’s very extravagant project and preferred the more sober version by the architect Michelozzo. Brunelleschi is the same one from the dome of the Florence Cathedral.
The Garden of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The Medici Riccardi palace is square with an internal courtyard and a beautiful walled garden next to Via Ginori. In the garden, we can admire various pots of orange and lemon trees, plants that exude a natural fragrance, much appreciated in the past and a symbol of sophistication.
The garden was a special area of the Palace: it was where the sumptuous banquets took place, like the reception of the young Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1459 or the wedding of Lorenzo and Clarice Orsini in June 1469.
In the garden, two symbols can be noticed: the Medici family symbol with red balls, and the key symbol representing the Riccardi family, who bought the palace from the Medici centuries later, in 1659. When you visit the garden, remember to look for the key and the Medici balls!
The Chapel of the Magi
The most beautiful and impressive place in the Palazzo Medici is undoubtedly the Chapel of the Magi.
Have you ever thought about having a chapel at home? Well, Contessina de’ Bardi, Cosimo the Elder’s wife, decided she wanted one. No one had ever built a chapel inside a house before. But… the Medici were the bankers of the Pope.
Using his influence, Cosimo obtained permission from Pope Martin V in 1422, granting the privilege to set up a portable altar inside his own home.
The chapel was supposed to be finished by around 1449. In April 1459, Cosimo the Elder hosted Galeazzo Maria Sforza, heir to the Duke of Milan, his political ally. At that time, the chapel was finished and decorated with marble flooring but did not yet have the marvelous frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli that we can admire today.
One of the frescoes’ striking images is that of a young, imposing figure on a white horse, an idealized portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was still a child at the time of the painting.
The chapel was not exclusively a place for preaching but also a political venue where personalities were received and agreements and conclaves were made.
Another curiosity about the chapel is that when the Riccardi family bought the palace from the Medici, they decided to build a large staircase between the courtyard and the first floor. There was just one problem: the chapel was in the way. It was not possible to demolish such an important structure, but the staircase was built anyway. How did they do it? They moved one of the frescoed walls to finish the staircase and cut a piece of the fresco. When you enter, you’ll notice a horse on the wall cut in half that ends on another wall. That’s why.
The Mirror Room of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The Mirror Room we see today was the former ballroom of the Riccardi family.
In the Medici era, ceremonies took place in the courtyard and garden of the building. But the Riccardi were from the era of parties and modernized the building following the new habits.
In this room, we see painted mirrors, golden cabinets, and ceiling frescoes by Luca Giordano.
In the center, the fresco depicting some Medici family personalities next to Jupiter, a symbol of strength and power, is striking.
Notice Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, with lions at his feet. Beside him are his sons Gian Gastone (on the left) and Ferdinando de’ Medici (on the right), both on a white horse.
Below, dressed in red, is Cardinal Francesco Maria de’ Medici, Cosimo III’s brother. The four personalities next to Jupiter represent the Medici satellites, those that Galileo Galilei discovered in 1610 and dedicated to the noble family of Florence.
When the Palazzo Medici Riccardi Opens
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is open daily (except Wednesdays) from 9 am to 7 pm.
It is closed on Wednesdays and December 25th.
Tickets for the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Below you can find the official rates for the Palazzo Medici Riccardi with the possibility of online purchase through the official reseller.
| Category | Rate | Online Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | Euro 10.00 (exhibition) / Euro 7.00 (without exhibition) | buy here |
| EU Students 18-25 years | Euro 6.00 (exhibition) / Euro 4.00 (without exhibition) | buy here |
| 0-17 years | Euro 0.00 | buy here |
If you have difficulty purchasing on the official site, you can book a tour that includes the ticket through Get Your Guide.
Medici Family Tour
Book a tour with tickets and a guide at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi through Get Your Guide.
Address of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi – The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is located at Via Cavour, 1.
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