The Treasure of the Grand Dukes (formerly known as the Silver Museum) occupies the sumptuous frescoed rooms of the Summer Apartment of the Medici and Lorraine Grand Dukes, located on the ground floor and mezzanine of the Pitti Palace.
The Medici Treasury, the fruit of their collecting, is housed here: from the semi-precious stone vases of Lorenzo the Magnificent to the cameos and intaglios of Cosimo I, from the rock crystals of Francesco I to the ambers of Maria Magdalena of Austria - together with the jewellery of Anna Maria Luisa, the last heiress of the lineage. Also of great value is the collection of oriental ceramics. ‘The Salzburg Treasure, on the other hand, was brought to Florence by the Lorraine Grand Dukes (in particular Ferdinand III). The Hall of Donations displays a collection of jewellery made from the 18th century to the present day by prestigious European and Italian manufacturers.
Particularly fascinating is the Salone di Giovanni da San Giovanni (named after the main painter who frescoed this room). The pictorial cycle, painted starting in 1635 on the occasion of the marriage between Ferdinando II de‘ Medici and Vittoria della Rovere, is a celebratory allegory of the Medici dynasty: on the side walls is depicted the Greek culture that, having left Athens after a long pilgrimage, arrives in Florence (’new Athens') welcomed by Lorenzo the Magnificent. On the ceiling, an allegory of the Grand Ducal wedding. The frescoes were completed in 1642 by Cecco Bravo, Ottavio Vannini and Francesco Furini.
The decorations of the later rooms, executed by 17th-century artists Mitelli and Colonna, are among the earliest and most eloquent examples of quadraturism (grandiose painted architectures aimed at illusionistically expanding space).
Tesoro dei Granduchi - Palazzo Pitti
Piazza de' Pitti, 1, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia
The Museum of the Tesoro dei Granduchi is located on the ground floor, left wing of the Cortile dell’Ammannati, at the left of the metal detectors for security controls, and it is structured into two levels connected by stairs.
The entrance door is also the museum's exit and there is a threshold of 3 cm/ 1,2 in. 22 rooms and a space especially for exhibitions, the Cortile di Aiace, compose the Museum.
The ground floor is entirely accessible, except some slight differences in height: between room 1 and 2 there is a step of 3 cm/1,2 in and, to enter room 3 (of Giovanni da San Giovanni) there is a threshold of 1 cm/0,3 in. Between room 3 and 4 (Lorenzo il Magnifico) there are two thresholds of 1 cm / 0,3 in and the floor has a slope with a gradient up to 3%. In this room and in the whole museum, the minimum space for transit is 54 cm / 1,7 ft .The other rooms are connected by doors with thresholds of 1 cm/0,3 in in height.
The mezzanine floor of the Palace is not accessible for people with reduced mobility or in wheelchair. The path ends with room 22, on the ground floor. Exit is from room 1, to reach it visitors will pass through an automatic door in room 22 (threshold of 2 cm/0,8 in) which leads in the Cortile di Aiace and through a second door (threshold of 2 cm/0,8 in).
For information, please contact the Accessibility and Inclusion Department by calling +39 055 2388617, Monday – Friday 9.30am-1pm, Tuesday and Thursday 3-5pm. uffiziaccessibili@cultura.gov.it ; www.uffizi.it/en/ts/accessibility
