# Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence > Palazzo Medici Riccardi was the Medici family's first palace, built in the 15th century for Cosimo the Elder; Lorenzo the Magnificent grew up here. Inside, the highlights are the tiny Magi Chapel with Benozzo Gozzoli's brilliant frescoes and a gilded, mirrored gallery under Luca Giordano's painted ceiling. Entry is paid; allow about an hour. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-medici-riccardi - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid; Magi Chapel in small groups - Opening hours: Closed Wednesdays - Highlights: Gozzoli frescoes, Luca Giordano gallery - Courtyard: Visible from the street - Time needed: About an hour - Location: Via Cavour, 3 minutes from the Duomo - Coordinates: 43.77529, 11.25599 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1444–1484** — Michelozzo built the palace for Cosimo the Elder (source: English Wikipedia) - **1459–1461** — Benozzo Gozzoli painted the Magi Chapel (source: English Wikipedia) - **1540** — the Medici moved to the Palazzo Vecchio (source: English Wikipedia) - **1659** — the Riccardi family bought and enlarged it (source: English Wikipedia) - **1680s** — Luca Giordano painted the gallery ceiling (source: English Wikipedia) ## History of the Medici palace In **1444** the banker **Cosimo de' Medici**, later known as Cosimo the Elder, asked the architect **Michelozzo** to build the family a new home. Legend says he first had a design from Brunelleschi but turned it down as too grand, likely to stir up the neighbours' envy. Michelozzo's palace is severe from outside: rough-hewn stone on the ground floor, smoother above, crowned by a massive cornice. It became the model for dozens of Florentine palazzi. The Medici lived here for nearly a century. **Lorenzo the Magnificent** grew up in the palace and filled it with poets, philosophers and artists; the young **Michelangelo** lived in Lorenzo's household for several years and trained in his sculpture garden. In **1540** Duke Cosimo I moved to the [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) and later to [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti). In **1659** the **Riccardi** family bought the building. They lengthened the façade in the same style and redecorated rooms in Baroque taste. Today the palace is both a museum and the offices of the Metropolitan City of Florence, so some rooms are open to visitors and others are working offices. ## The Magi Chapel The palace's great treasure is the small private **Magi Chapel** on the first floor. In **1459–1461** **Benozzo Gozzoli** covered its walls with the Procession of the Magi: a long, festive cavalcade in gold and brocade winding through the Tuscan hills towards the Christ Child. Among the riders, pages and servants Gozzoli painted the Medici themselves and their guests, and slipped in a self-portrait too, with his name written on his cap. The colours are astonishingly fresh: gold, scarlet, blue. The chapel is tiny, so visitors go in small groups for a few minutes; take your time and look for the hunting dogs, the cheetahs and the castles on the hills. Over the altar is a copy of Filippo Lippi's Adoration in the Forest; the original is in Berlin. It's one of the few places where Medici-era frescoes can still be seen in the very room they were painted for. ## What to see in Palazzo Medici Riccardi - **Magi Chapel** — Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes. - **Luca Giordano Gallery** — mirrors, gilding and the painted ceiling. - **Michelozzo's courtyard** — arcade and roundels. - **The garden** — lemon trees in pots and statues. - **The kneeling windows** — on the corner, designed by Michelangelo. - **Filippo Lippi's Madonna** — in one of the rooms. > **The courtyard, even without a ticket** Short on time? Peek into Michelozzo's courtyard through the main gate on Via Cavour: the arcade, marble roundels and a glimpse of the garden can often be seen without a ticket. On the corner with Via de' Ginori, look for the kneeling windows, set on carved brackets and credited to Michelangelo. ## The mirrored gallery and the courtyard The palace's second jewel is the Riccardi **gallery**. In the **1680s** the Neapolitan painter **Luca Giordano** covered its ceiling with a vast allegory in honour of the Medici, all gods, clouds and shining sky. The walls are carved, gilded and set with mirrors that reflect the ceiling again and again, so the room seems to go on forever. It's still used for formal meetings and concerts. Michelozzo's inner **courtyard** is a model of Renaissance harmony, with an arcade on slender columns and marble roundels above. Donatello's bronze David once stood here; it's now in the [Bargello](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/bargello). Beyond lies a small **garden** with lemon trees in pots, ancient statues and benches, a good place to cool off in summer. ## How to get to Palazzo Medici Riccardi 1. From [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral), 3 minutes along Via Cavour. 2. From the [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo), 1 minute across the square. 3. From **Santa Maria Novella** station, 8–10 minutes on foot. 4. The visitor entrance is at Via Cavour 3. ## Tickets and tips Tickets are sold on site and on the palace's official website. Numbers in the Magi Chapel are capped, so in high season it's worth booking a time slot ahead. The museum is usually closed on **Wednesdays**; check before you go. The palace sits in the San Lorenzo quarter and pairs easily with its neighbours: the basilica, the [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) and the market. It's far less crowded than the Uffizi or Palazzo Pitti, so even in summer you can look at the frescoes in peace. Temporary exhibitions open here regularly; the programme is on the palace website. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Book a Magi Chapel time slot - [ ] Make sure it isn't a Wednesday - [ ] Find Gozzoli's self-portrait in the procession - [ ] See Luca Giordano's ceiling in the mirrors - [ ] Rest in the lemon garden ## Florence's palaces: compare and choose Palaces and residences in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid - [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid - [Palazzo Medici Riccardi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-medici-riccardi) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Bargello](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/bargello) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Palazzo Strozzi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-strozzi) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Courtyard free, exhibitions paid ## The Medici quarter in half a day Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, then the Accademia Gallery. 1. [Palazzo Medici Riccardi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-medici-riccardi) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid 2. [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid 3. [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid 4. [Galleria dell'Accademia](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/galleria-dell-accademia) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid ## Don't mix it up Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the Medici Chapels are different places: the first was the family home, the second their chapels at San Lorenzo, two minutes' walk away. Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Vecchio were the dukes' later residences. ## Tips - Usually closed on Wednesdays. - The chapel admits small groups. - The courtyard is visible from Via Cavour. - Quieter than the Uffizi. ## Questions ### What is there to see in Palazzo Medici Riccardi? The Magi Chapel with Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes, the gallery with Luca Giordano's ceiling, Michelozzo's courtyard and the garden. ### Who built Palazzo Medici? The architect Michelozzo, in 1444–1484, for Cosimo de' Medici the Elder. ### Why is it called Medici Riccardi? In 1659 the Medici sold it to the Riccardi family, who enlarged it; the name joins the two families. ### How much is entry? Entry is paid; check prices and Magi Chapel slots on the official website. ### How long do you need? About an hour for the chapel, gallery and garden. ## How we checked History and frescoes from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Palazzo Medici Riccardi and Magi Chapel - Official site, palazzomediciriccardi.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.