The Medici Riccardi Palace is distinguished by its three-story façade, which transitions from rough, rusticated stone at the ground level to increasingly smooth stonework as the building rises, all topped by a massive, projecting cornice.…
The Medici Dynasty Trail
Follow the rise of the ruthless family that financed the Renaissance from their modest neighborhood roots to the absolute rulers of Florence.
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1. Medici Riccardi Palace
2. Basilica di San Lorenzo
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is immediately recognizable by its stark, unadorned exterior of rough masonry, which stands in contrast to the polished marble facades found elsewhere in Florence. This raw appearance persists because the…
3. Cappelle Medicee
The Cappelle Medicee, or Medici Chapels, are distinguished by a massive dome that rises above the Basilica of San Lorenzo. This complex serves as the monumental burial place for the Medici family, who ruled Florence for centuries. It is…
4. Piazza del Duomo
The Piazza del Duomo is defined by the massive, ochre-tiled dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which towers over the historic center of Florence. This square serves as the city's spiritual and architectural core, housing the…
5. Church & Museum of Orsanmichele
Orsanmichele is a massive, rectangular stone building that stands out for its lack of a traditional church facade. Instead of a grand entrance, the exterior is defined by fourteen deep, arched niches, each containing a sculpture of a…
6. Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio is a fortress-like palace of brown stone, distinguished by a massive, asymmetrical tower that rises ninety-four meters above the square. Completed in thirteen fourteen, this building was commissioned to serve as the seat of…
7. Uffizi Galleries
The Uffizi Gallery is recognizable by its long, U-shaped structure that frames a narrow courtyard, opening toward the Arno River. Built in fifteen sixty for Cosimo the First de’ Medici, the complex was never originally meant to hold art.…
8. Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio is a stone bridge with three wide, flattened arches that supports two rows of buildings projecting over the Arno River. Completed in thirteen forty-five, the structure remains the oldest bridge in Florence and serves as…
9. Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti is a sprawling Renaissance palace characterized by its massive, rough-hewn stone facade that spans a significant portion of the hillside on the south bank of the Arno River. Commissioned in fourteen fifty-eight by the…