 Palazzo Pitti
This palace was commissioned by Luca Pitti in 1448. The original plans, attributed to Brunelleschi. The construction started after ten years of Brunelleschi's death.
In 1549 the ownership passed to the Medici family. The beautiful courtyard was designed by Ammannati and constructed during 1558-70.
The Pitti Palace was enlarged and modified many times over the centuries: it was the seat of the Lorraine dynasty and, when Florence was capital of Italy, of the Court of Savoia.
Today it houses several museums and galleries the most important of which is the Palatine Gallery, containing the private collections of the Grand Dukes, with masterpieces dating from the 15th to 17th centuries, including paintings by Titian, Giorgione, Raphael, and Rubens.
The other museums are the Gallery of Modern Art, the Silver Museum, the Costume Gallery, the Carriage Museum, the Porcelain Museum, the Contini Bonacossi Collection, the Royal Apartments and the Apartment of the Duchess of Aosta.
One of the most beautiful Italian gardens extends on the Boboli hill between the Pitti Palace and Forte Belvedere. It was designed by Tribolo in 1549 and then enhanced by Ammanati and Buontalenti. The 16th century fortress, Forte Belvedere, dominates the gardens and the entire city; it was designed by Buontalenti for the Grand Duke Ferdinando I.
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