Splendors of the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

Cosimo I, founder of the Medici Dynasty, acquired the Pitti Palace and the surrounding grounds in 1550. The palace didn’t become the family’s official residence until the late 16th century. In the years that followed, the Medici transformed a simple Renaissance palace into an opulent residence. Today the Pitti Palace is home to a vast collection of artworks by masters like Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Rubens. Hundreds and hundreds of masterpieces are on display in the grand halls extravagantly furnished with sculpture, vases and furniture and decorated with stunning ceiling frescoes dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The Boboli Gardens, which stretch over 110 acres were once the backdrop for pageants and court entertainment of the Medici. The grounds were transformed into the ultimate prototype of the Italian Renaissance garden where principles of Renaissance design and harmony were fused with nature.