Davanzati Palace

Palazzo Davanzati, located in the heart of Florence, is an extraordinary example of Florentine residential architecture from the 14th century. Built around 1350 by the Davizzi family, wealthy merchants of the Arte di Calimala, the palace is a fusion of a medieval tower house and a Renaissance palace, representing one of the city’s first three-story residences. The building was purchased in 1516 by the Bartolini family, then in 1578 by the Davanzati family, who gave the palace its name. In the late 18th century, Palazzo Davanzati hosted the Accademia degli Armonici, a cultural salon frequented by musicians such as Luigi Cherubini and Pietro Nardini. However, after the suicide of the last member of the Davanzati family in 1838, the palace underwent a period of abandonment and decay, fragmented into apartments and used for various purposes. It was only in 1904, thanks to the intervention of the antiquarian Elia Volpi, that the palace was restored and transformed into a private museum dedicated to ancient Florentine homes. Volpi organized an ambitious restoration, recovering numerous ancient wall decorations and furnishing the interiors with furniture and art objects to recreate the atmosphere of a Florentine residence from the past. The museum was inaugurated in 1910 and quickly became a must-see for collectors and tourists, attracted by the opportunity to admire and purchase Renaissance art pieces. In 1916, Volpi sold the entire furniture of the palace at an auction in New York, an event that contributed to spreading the neorenaissance taste in the United States. After further vicissitudes, the palace was purchased by the Italian State in 1951 and, after new restorations, reopened as the Museum of Ancient Florentine Homes in 1956. Palazzo Davanzati offers visitors an immersion into the daily life of a noble Florentine family. On the ground floor, the atrium and courtyard still retain the original structure with cross vaults and defensive machicolations. The inner courtyard, the heart of the palace, is a suggestive scenic space with arches, vaults, and octagonal pillars. Here there are rings for tying horses and a wall well, luxuries for the time, which allowed water to be hoisted to the upper floors through pulleys. Ascending to the upper floors, the first floor houses the “madornale” hall, a large room with decorated ceilings and lowered arch windows. This room is enriched with historical furnishings, paintings, and sculptures. Adjacent to the hall is the famous Parrot Room, with late 14th-century frescoes imitating draperies and tapestries, decorated with the ornamental motif of parrots. The Peacock Room, once a bridal chamber, is decorated with frescoes depicting coats of arms of families allied with the Davizzi, peacocks, and other symbolic figures. The museum also exhibits a rich collection of lace and embroidery, with pieces dating from the 16th to the 20th century. The lace and embroidery room displays various samplers, small embroidery samples used to learn the art of sewing. The study, another evocative room, contains paintings and antique furniture, including a painted small altar, an iron safe, and a 16th-century Florentine money chest.