Palazzo Pitti

The Palazzo Pitti, sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker. It was later bought by the Medici family in 1549: as the official residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, it was enlarged and enriched almost continually over the following three centuries.

Early history

The construction of this severe, almost forbidding, building was originally commissioned in 1458 by the Florentine banker Luca Pitti, a principal supporter and friend of Cosimo de' Medici. The early history of the Palazzo Pitti is a mixture of fact and myth. Pitti wanted to build, it was said, a large palazzo which would outshine the Palazzo Medici. It is also claimed he specifically instructed that the windows should be larger than the entrance of the Palazzo Medici. It has been said by no less a person than Vasari that Brunelleschi was the palazzo's architect, and that he was assisted in the task by his pupil Luca Fancelli. However, besides obvious differences from Brunelleschi's style, Brunelleschi died twelve years before construction of the palazzo began. The design and fenestration suggest that the unknown architect was more experienced in utilitarian domestic architecture than in the humanist rules defined by Alberti. The original palazzo, though impressive, would have been no rival to the magnificence of the Florentine Medici residences, in terms of either size or content. Whoever the architect of the Palazzo Pitti was — today Fancelli is generally credited — he was moving against the contemporary flow of fashion. The rusticated stonework gives the palazzo a severe and powerful atmosphere, reinforced by the three times repeated series of seven round-topped apertures, reminiscent of a Roman aqueduct. The Roman-style architecture appealed to the Florentine love of all things classical. This original design concept has withstood the test of time, and its influence has been maintained and continued during the subsequent additions to the palazzo. Work stopped after Pitti suffered financial reverses following the death of Cosimo de' Medici in 1464. Luca Pitti died in 1472 with the building uncompleted.

Related Topics:
1458 - Luca Pitti - Cosimo de' Medici - Palazzo - Palazzo Medici - Vasari - Brunelleschi - Architect - Luca Fancelli - Fenestration - Humanist - Alberti - Rusticated - Aperture - Aqueduct - Roman - 1472

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