The design established the standard 'palazzo' layout for Florentine elite residences for the next two centuries.
The ground floor rustication is intentionally heavier than the top floor to visually stabilize the building's weight.
The building was designed to look modest from the outside at Cosimo the Elder's request to avoid inciting jealousy among other Florentine families.
The Luca Giordano Gallery was one of the first examples of the 'quadratura' technique, which uses illusionistic architecture to extend the space of the room.
The courtyard contains a collection of ancient Roman inscriptions and sculptures embedded into the walls by the Riccardi family.
The chapel's altar originally featured Filippo Lippi’s 'Adoration in the Forest,' which is now a replica, with the original located in Berlin.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi is the first Renaissance palace built in Florence, commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici around 1444 and designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo. The exterior features a distinct three-tier facade with varying stone textures ranging from rough-hewn ashlar to smooth masonry. The interior centers on a square colonnaded courtyard, a hallmark of early Renaissance domestic architecture. The private chapel, the Cappella dei Magi, contains Benozzo Gozzoli’s 1459 fresco cycle depicting the Procession of the Magi. These frescoes incorporate contemporary Medici family members and historical figures into a religious narrative. The palace served as the primary residence for the Medici family until 1540. In 1659, the Riccardi family acquired the property and commissioned the Baroque-style Luca Giordano Gallery, featuring an elaborate frescoed ceiling. The building currently functions as a museum and houses the library of the Accademia della Crusca.
The central courtyard, framing the arched columns with the greenery in the center.
Focus your time on the ground floor courtyard and the first-floor chapel, which houses the most significant art.
Check the official website for rotating temporary exhibitions that may grant access to rooms not typically open to the public.
Photography is permitted without flash, but the chapel has strict lighting and capacity controls to preserve the frescoes.
Missing the upper floor gallery, as many tourists only view the ground floor courtyard and entrance.
Closed on Wednesdays throughout the year.
Maintain silence in the chapel and do not touch the frescoes or historic furniture.
