Palazzo Medici Riccardi: the Medici at home, and the Chapel of the Magi
Before the Medici were dukes they were bankers, and this was their house. Cosimo the Elder had it built by Michelozzo from 1444, and for the next fifty years the real government of Florence sat here and not in the Palazzo Vecchio.
- What it is
- Monument
- Time to allow
- 45 to 75 minutes
- Cost
- Ticket
- Best time
- Early or late in the day
Florence this week
Why Palazzo Medici Riccardi is worth it
The palace set the pattern for every rich man's house in Florence afterwards: rough blocks of stone at street level, smoother above, a great cornice, an arcaded courtyard inside. It looks severe on purpose. Cosimo is said to have turned down a grander design by Brunelleschi because envy was a plant that should not be watered.
Lorenzo the Magnificent was brought up in it, and the young Michelangelo lived here as one of the household. Donatello's bronze David stood in the courtyard. All of that was scattered in 1494, when the family was driven out and the palace sacked.
One room survived untouched. About 1459 Benozzo Gozzoli painted the private chapel on the first floor with the journey of the three kings to Bethlehem, winding through a Tuscan landscape of castles and cypress. The kings and their train are dressed as for a Florentine festival, and the Medici ride among them.
What to see
The Chapel of the Magi
Three walls of gold, scarlet and blue, as fresh as a painted book. The young king on the white horse was long taken for the boy Lorenzo. Look for the leopard on a leash and the falcon tearing a hare.
Gozzoli's self-portrait
In the crowd behind the Medici, a face looks straight out under a red cap with his name written on it in gold: the work of Benozzo.
The courtyard
Michelozzo's square of arches on slim columns, with roundels copied from the Medici's ancient cameos. It became the model for the courtyards of Florence.
The Gallery of Luca Giordano
The Riccardi family, who bought the palace in 1659, added a Baroque hall of mirrors with a ceiling of swirling gods glorifying the Medici, painted in the 1680s.
The kneeling windows
The ground-floor windows on the corner, resting on scrolled brackets like the legs of a prayer desk, were added to a design by Michelangelo when the open loggia was walled up.
How to do it well
- The chapel is small and takes only a few people at a time. At busy hours you wait your turn on the stairs.
- The palace is shut one day in the middle of the week. Check before you go.
- Forty-five minutes is enough for the chapel, the courtyard and the gallery.
- It is a straight walk from the Duomo and next to San Lorenzo: see it on the way to the Medici Chapels, where the same family is buried.
- A walking tour on the Medici makes sense of the palace, the church and the tombs together.
Where it is
Address
Via Cavour 3, two minutes north of the Duomo
Nearest station
Santa Maria Novella station, about ten minutes on foot
Museums and sights nearby
- Medici Chapels200 m
- Florence Cathedral250 m
- Accademia Gallery300 m
- Bargello National Museum550 m
Distances are in a straight line.
Tickets and tours: Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Palazzo Medici Riccardi: common questions
- What is in Palazzo Medici Riccardi?
- The Chapel of the Magi, frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli about 1459, Michelozzo's courtyard, and the Baroque gallery painted by Luca Giordano for the Riccardi family.
- Who lived in Palazzo Medici Riccardi?
- The Medici, from Cosimo the Elder to Lorenzo the Magnificent, until they moved to the Palazzo Vecchio and then the Pitti Palace in the sixteenth century. The Riccardi family bought it in 1659.
- How long does Palazzo Medici Riccardi take?
- Forty-five minutes to an hour.
- How much time do you need for Palazzo Medici Riccardi?
- Allow 45 to 75 minutes. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
What visitors say about Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Rating from Google
Things to do near Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 10Stand among Michelangelo's tombs in the Medici Chapels200 m awayMonument, 45 to 75 minutes, ticket
- 3Climb Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo250 m awayChurch, 2 to 3 hours, cathedral free, ticket for the dome
- 15Eat your way through the Mercato Centrale250 m awayWalk, 1 to 2 hours, free to enter, pay for what you eat
- 2See Michelangelo's David at the Accademia300 m awayMuseum, 1 to 1.5 hours, ticket
Artists to see near Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
Medici Chapels, 200 m away
Florence Cathedral, 250 m away
Where to eat near Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Trattoria Zà Zà4.5Trattoria, Mercato Centrale150 m away
- Trattoria Mario4.6Trattoria, San Lorenzo200 m away
- Da Nerbone4.4Market counter, Mercato Centrale250 m away
- Caffè Gilli4.3Café, Piazza della Repubblica400 m away
Hotels near Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Hotel Savoy4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Repubblica400 m away
- Palazzo Portinari Salviati4.8Five-star hotel, Via del Corso450 m away
- Helvetia & Bristol4.7Five-star hotel, Palazzo Strozzi450 m away
- The Place Firenze4.5Five-star hotel, Santa Maria Novella550 m away