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.

Houses of Lorraine and Savoy

The palazzo remained the Medici's principal residence until the fall of the dynasty in 1737, when it was taken over by the new Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the Austrian House of Lorraine. Their tenancy was briefly interrupted by Napoleon, who used the Pitti during his period of control over Italy.

Related Topics:
1737 - Austria - House of Lorraine - Napoleon

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When Tuscany passed from the House of Lorraine to the House of Savoy in 1860, the Plazzo Pitti was included. After the Risorgimento, when Florence was briefly the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II resided in the Pitti until 1871. His grandson, Vittorio Emanuele III, presented the Pitti to the nation in 1919. The palazzo and other buildings in the Boboli Gardens then became divided into five separate art galleries and a museum, housing not only many of its original contents, but priceless artefacts from many other collections acquired by the state. The 140 rooms open to the public are part of an interior which is in large part a later product than the original portion of the structure, mostly created in two phases, dating respectively from the 17th century and the early 18th century. Some parts are earlier, and there are later additions such as the Throne Room. In 2005 the surprise discovery of forgotten 18th century bathrooms in the palazzo, showed a remarkable example of contemporary plumbing very similar in style to the bathrooms of the 21st century.

Related Topics:
House of Savoy - 1860 - Risorgimento - Vittorio Emanuele II - 1871 - Vittorio Emanuele III - 1919 - 18th century

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