# Palazzo Pitti, Florence > Palazzo Pitti is the Medici's vast palace on the south bank of the Arno, in the Oltrarno quarter. It holds several museums — the Palatine Gallery with Raphael, Titian and Rubens, the Royal Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art and the treasury — with the Boboli Gardens behind. Entry is paid and it's closed on Mondays; allow half a day with the gardens. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid; combined passes with Boboli and the Uffizi - Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday, closed Monday - Highlights: Raphael, Titian, the Royal Apartments - Museums: Palatine Gallery, modern art, treasury, costume - Time needed: Half a day with the Boboli Gardens - Location: Oltrarno, 5 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio - Coordinates: 43.76515, 11.25001 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1458** — begun for the banker Luca Pitti (source: English Wikipedia) - **1549** — Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I, bought it (source: English Wikipedia) - **Medici** — it became the grand dukes' main residence (source: English Wikipedia) - **1865–1871** — royal residence while Florence was Italy's capital (source: English Wikipedia) - **Raphael** — the Palatine Gallery holds his Madonna della Seggiola (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history The banker **Luca Pitti**, a rival of the Medici, began the palace in **1458**, often to a design credited to Brunelleschi. He wanted a house grander than the Medici's but ran out of money before finishing. In **1549** it was bought by **Eleonora of Toledo**, wife of Duke **Cosimo I de' Medici**, and became the family's main residence. The Medici enlarged it again and again, generation after generation, until the stone façade stretched nearly 200 m. After them came the Habsburg-Lorraine grand dukes and, in **1865–1871**, while Florence was capital of united Italy, the kings of the House of Savoy. Today it's Florence's largest museum complex. ## The Palatine Gallery The palace's main museum, the **Palatine Gallery**, keeps its paintings hung as under the Medici and Lorraine — densely, in tiers, in sumptuous rooms with painted, gilded ceilings named after Venus, Apollo, Mars and Jupiter. It holds one of the finest **Raphael** collections, including the **Madonna della Seggiola** and La Velata, with **Titian**, **Rubens**, Andrea del Sarto and Caravaggio. Next door, the **Royal Apartments** where the Medici, Lorraine and Savoy lived — bedrooms, a throne room and salons hung with silk, chandeliers and 19th-century furniture — offer a glimpse of court life. Downstairs, the **Treasury of the Grand Dukes** holds Lorenzo the Magnificent's hardstone vases, cameos, ivory, amber and jewels. ## What to see - **Palatine Gallery** — Raphael, Titian, Rubens. - **Royal Apartments** — the throne room and suites. - **Gallery of Modern Art** — 19th- and 20th-century painting. - **Treasury of the Grand Dukes** — Medici jewels and curiosities. - **Museum of Costume and Fashion** — dress from the 18th century. - **Ammannati courtyard** — the way into the Boboli Gardens. > **Combined tickets** Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens are included in Uffizi museum passes, including a multi-day combined pass with the Uffizi itself — better value than separate tickets. Do the Palatine Gallery in the morning and relax in the gardens after lunch. ## Courtyard and gardens Behind the façade lies the 16th-century **Ammannati courtyard** with massive rusticated columns, once a setting for festivities and even water spectacles; a stair leads up into the **Boboli Gardens**, a vast park of fountains, grottoes, statues and city views. The sloping square in front is a favourite sunset perch, and from here the lanes of the **Oltrarno**, the artisans' quarter, begin. ## How to get there 1. From the [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio), 5 minutes along Via Guicciardini. 2. From the [Uffizi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi), 10 minutes across the bridge. 3. Behind the palace: the [Boboli Gardens](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/boboli-gardens). 4. Buses C3 and C4 stop by Piazza Pitti. ## Is Palazzo Pitti worth it? Yes, especially for Raphael lovers and anyone curious how the Medici and Italy's kings lived. It's usually much less crowded than the Uffizi yet just as impressive, and its rooms feel like a lived-in royal home. Combine it with the Boboli Gardens and a stroll through the Oltrarno; children especially enjoy the treasury, the historic costumes and the gardens. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check it isn't a Monday - [ ] Buy a combined ticket with Boboli - [ ] Find Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola - [ ] Walk through the Royal Apartments - [ ] Exit via the Ammannati courtyard into the gardens ## Florence's palaces: compare and choose Palaces and museums 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 ## From the Signoria to the Pitti Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor and Ponte Vecchio, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. 1. [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free 2. [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid 3. [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry 4. [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free 5. [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid ## Don't mix it up Palazzo Pitti isn't Palazzo Vecchio: the Pitti is the Medici palace across the river with the Boboli Gardens, the Vecchio the medieval town hall on Piazza della Signoria. ## Tips - Closed on Mondays. - Combined ticket with Boboli. - Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola. - The Oltrarno is right here. ## Questions ### What is there to see in Palazzo Pitti? The Palatine Gallery with Raphael and Titian, the Royal Apartments, the treasury and the Costume Museum. ### When is Palazzo Pitti closed? On Mondays. ### Are the Boboli Gardens included? Combined tickets cover the palace, the gardens and the Uffizi; check current terms on the official site. ### How long do you need? 2–3 hours; half a day with the Boboli Gardens. ### Who lived in Palazzo Pitti? The Medici, then the Habsburg-Lorraine grand dukes and the kings of Italy. ## How we checked History and collections from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Palazzo Pitti - Official site uffizi.it (Palazzo Pitti) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.