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original central section of this palace was constructed in 1458
by Luca Fancelli, working from a design by Brunelleschi. It was
built for an extremely wealthy Florentine banker, Luca Pitti, who
intended it to be the grandest building in Florence, one that would
outshine that of his rivals, the Medici. However, Luca Pitti died
prematurely, and after some financial setbacks, his heirs were forced
to sell it. In 1549, it was bought by the wife of Cosimo I, Eleonora
di Toledo, who commissioned Ammannati to enlarge it. He lengthened
the facade and build a splendid courtyard inside. Tribolo transformed
the hill behind the palace into the most beautiful Italian garden
of them all: Boboli.
In 1620, the facade of the palace was once again amplified by the
architect Giulio Parigi, and the two side wings were added in the
18th and early 19th centuries. For three centuries it was the residence
of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, and during the Napoleonic period
it was occupied by the Queen of Etruria, Napoleon's sister Elisa
Baciocchi. Following the unification of Italy, it became the residence
of the Savoy royal family. Today it is the property of the state.
In the numerous rooms of the palace there are a number of important
museums: the Museo degli Argenti, a collection of fine jewellery,
silverware, crystal, ivory, cameos, and textiles from the Medici
collections; the Galleria Palatina, which contains an important
collection of XVII and XVIII century painting; the Galleria d'Arte
Moderna, that dates back to 1860 and houses work ranging from XIX
century Tuscan painting to contemporary international works; the
Museo delle Carrozze housed in one of the wings.
In the rooms of the Palazzina della Meridiana there is the Museo
del Costume, where there is a display of chronologically-ordered
historical costumes.
At the top of the Boboli Gardens, in the Edificio del Cavaliere,
there is the Museo delle Porcellane, where it is possible to admire
pieces of beautiful porcelain from the various families which have
lived in the palace.
The Royal Apartments, formerly the residence of the Grand Dukes
of Tuscany, are also partially visitable. They subsequently became
the official residence of Vittorio Emanuele II, and were also occasionally
occupied by Umberto I and Vittorio Emanuele III.
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