Palazzo Medici Riccardi plays a fundamental role in the history of the city of Florence. Commissioned in 1444 by Cosimo il Vecchio, it was the residence of the Medici family on what used to be known as Via Larga (today Via Cavour) and is a fundamental model of Renaissance civil architecture. In addition to being the private residence of the Medici family, with personalities of the calibre of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the palace fulfilled a public function and welcomed prominent political figures.
The palace's monumental courtyard leads to the Chapel of the Magi, which was built to a design by Michelozzo and frescoed in 1459 by Benozzo Gozzoli with the famous Cavalcade of the Magi, a masterpiece of the early Renaissance characterised by a series of portraits of illustrious figures. On the altar is a copy of the original altarpiece painted by Filippo Lippi.
Purchased in the mid 17th century by the Riccardi, it has many rooms dating back to this period, such as the sumptuous Galleria degli Specchi, in whose vault, magnificently frescoed by Luca Giordano, the Apotheosis of the Medici Family, protectors of the Riccardi, is depicted. In the basement are exhibited the busts from the Roman era collected in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Riccardi family, as well as the archaeological itinerary rich in evidence from the Roman era to the Middle Ages.
The museum organises activities and workshops for families according to the age of the children and activities for schools.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Camillo Cavour, 3, 50129 Firenze FI, Italia
The entrance is in Via Ginori n. 2 (backside of the palace). The ticket office is in the courtyard, on the left. Access to the first floor is possible thanks to an elevator, supporting only standard manual wheelchairs. The museum provides visitors using electric wheelchairs with a manual wheelchair to access the elevator, visit all the rooms and the Benozzo Gozzoli Chapel, all of them accessible.
Disabled toilets are located next to the elevator, ground floor.
Please, inform the staff before your arrival, in order to organize your visit as well as possible.
