The Medici – Riccardi Palazzo

Palazzo Medici - Riccardi is located in via Cavour. You can reach it from the Duomo (cathedral) by taking via de' Martelli that you will go up to via Cavour located in its extension.

Address: 3 via Cavour
Opening hours : Every day from 9 am to 7 pm. Closed on Wednesday.
Price : 10 € normal price, can be increased in case of temporary exhibition.

La façade du palazzo Medicis Riccardi

 

Its construction ordered by Cosimo the Elder to Michelozzo began in 1444. The palace remained the residence of the Medici until Cosimo I moved to Palazzo Vecchio and then to Palazzo Pitti. In 1659 it became the property of the Riccardi family. Its imposing facade features a rusticated first floor, long stone benches for customers and rings for tying horses. The imposing overhanging cornice is characteristic of Florentine palaces.

 

The courtyard of Palazzo Medici Riccardi

 

The beautiful square courtyard in blue-gray stone, with a statue of Orpheus in the center, overlooks the garden decorated with statues and terracotta pottery. A staircase leads upstairs to the Capella dei Magi (Chapel of the Magi), frescoed on three walls by Benozzo Gozzuli.

The Procession of the Magi winds through a landscape of mountains and plains dotted with imaginary towns. Members and allies of the Medici family are depicted: the young man on the white horse carapached in gold is said to be Lorenzo the Magnificent as a young man.

 

The procession of the Magi

 

Don't hesitate to go upstairs to see the Hall of Mirrors with its painted mirrors and vaulted ceiling by Luca Giordano, the antechamber with the Madonna and Child by Filippo Lippi, and the reception rooms.

 

Interior view of Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Ceiling of a room in Palazzo Medici Riccardi

 

The garden of Palazzo Medici Riccardi


 

The monuments of Florence