Palazzo Pitti
Piazza de’ Pitti, 1, 50125 Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Palazzo Pitti merits a separate Florence entry because it is not just an architectural backdrop to Boboli but a major museum destination with its own collections, visiting rhythm and historical identity. The official Uffizi Galleries page states that Cosimo I de’ Medici and Eleanor of Toledo chose it in 1550 as the new grand-ducal residence, and that it later housed the Habsburg-Lorraine court and the Kings of Italy from the House of Savoy. Today the palace is divided into five museums, including the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, the Palatine Gallery, the Imperial and Royal Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Costume and Fashion. That breadth makes it one of Florence’s most substantial indoor cultural experiences on the Oltrarno side of the Arno. For visitors, the official page gives clear practical detail. Palazzo Pitti is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15am to 6.30pm, and is closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December. The ticket office closes one hour before the museum, and the palace is sold both as a standalone ticket and in combined tickets with Boboli Gardens. Services listed on the official page include lifts, cloakroom, toilets, baby facilities, bookshop and cafeteria. Accessibility is defined rather than assumed: the entrance from Pitti Square has a 20 per cent slope, and lifts provide access to the floors.