Palazzo Medici Riccardi 🇮🇹

Step into the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a landmark 15th-century Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy, designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici. Originally built between 1444 and 1484 as the primary home for the influential Medici family, this historic building now serves as both a museum and the administrative seat for the Metropolitan City of Florence. When you visit, you will witness the prototype of the Tuscan Renaissance palazzo, featuring an intentionally modest stone exterior designed to comply with period sumptuary laws while subtly displaying immense wealth.

Notice the groundbreaking threefold grading of masonry on the exterior, which transitions from rough rusticated blocks on the ground floor to smoother ashlar stone at the top, crowned by a massive, fully developed classic cornice. Outside, admire Michelangelo's iconic 16th-century kneeling windows installed into the ground floor. Inside, explore the central open colonnaded court inspired by classical Roman peristyles and cloisters.

The palace's interior crowning glory is the famous Magi Chapel, brilliantly frescoed around 1459 by Benozzo Gozzoli with vibrant portraits of the Medici family, their allies, and historical figures posing as the Three Wise Men against detailed Tuscan landscapes.

What to see at Palazzo Medici Riccardi

• Benozzo Gozzoli's Magi Chapel frescoes featuring portraits of the Medici family
• Michelangelo's 16th-century Mannerist kneeling windows on the ground floor
• Central open colonnaded court modeled on classical Roman and Brunelleschian designs
• Luca Giordano's gallery fresco depicting the Apotheosis of the Medici
• Innovative threefold masonry grading transitioning from rough rusticated blocks to smooth ashlar

Visiting tips

Pay close attention to the ground-floor exterior to see Michelangelo's Mannerist kneeling windows set into the original arched openings.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Palazzo Medici Riccardi is easy to reach on Florence’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Florence Cathedral and Uffizi Gallery. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Florence travel guide.