Davanzati Palace (Palazzo Davanzati) is a historical palace in Florence that displays a magnificent example of a Florentine medieval house, which houses a museum of an old Florentine house (il Museo della Casa Fiorentina Antica) with recreated interiors and furniture.
The building was built by the Davizzi merchant family around the middle of the 14th century. In 1578, the house was bought by the Davanzati family for personal use and remained in their possession until 1838, when, after the suicide of Carlo Davanzati, the house was divided into several parts and severely damaged.
In the 19th century, the mansion was bought by the antiquarian Elia Volpi, who restored it to its original style and in 1910 opened a private museum in the building. In the 1920s, the building and its contents were acquired by Egyptian antiques dealers Vitale and Leopoldo Benguyat, and in 1951 it was bought by the Italian state and then opened as the Palazzo Davanzati Museum (Museo di Palazzo Davanzati), which is interesting for its interiors and rare wall decorations, some of which have a geometric pattern characteristic of houses Florence of the 14th century.
The exterior of the palace-museum consists of a facade that unites earlier medieval tower houses. The building is made of sandstone and has three large entrance portals on the ground floor, followed by three floors of arched mullioned windows, the building ends with a floor in the form of a loggia supported by four columns and two pilasters, which was added in the 16th century.
The three-dimensional coat of arms of Davantsati is placed on the facade. There are also other smaller detailed decorations, including wrought iron.
The interior recreated rooms of the palace are a magnificent and unique example of a medieval house in Florence.
The interiors are located on four floors of the building, although the house is considered three-storey. This is because in Italy, the first floor is located on the second floor, which is familiar to us, and the first floor, which is actually familiar to us, is considered zero.
The house has a courtyard with arches, vaults, capitals in the style of the 14th century and a staircase leading to the upper floors of the building.
Various items are displayed in the premises of the house: sculptures, paintings, furniture, majolica, lace, and other household items that reflect a typical Florentine house in the period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
The rooms of the house follow one after another:
- main hall corresponding to the length of the facade, day room, study and bedroom, with decorated wooden ceilings and frescoes with fake tapestries together;
- home environment: corridors, bedrooms, toilets present on all floors;
- the bridal room, also known as the Peacock Hall, has frescoes on the walls, a fake tapestry with geometric motifs (with lions, crowns and lilies of France) and a number of family coats of arms, between peacocks and other figures;
- there is also a dining room covered with restored frescoes of the late fourteenth century, imitating draperies and tapestries, with an ornamental motif of parrots; hence the name of the room - "Parrot Room";
- the kitchen is on the third floor, which testifies to the comfort of noble families who once lived in this rich house.
Practical information
Entrance to the museum is paid.
The Palazzo Davanzati Museum is part of the Bargello Museum, which also includes: the Bargello National Museum, the Medici Chapel at the Church of San Lorenzo, the Orsanmichele Church Museum and the Martelli House Museum.
You can buy a ticket only to the Davantsati Museum or a comprehensive ticket to all the objects of the museum. The complex ticket is valid for 72 hours.
Tickets can be purchased at the museum's ticket office or online in advance on the website.
We recommend checking the information about the museum's opening hours, ticket prices and conditions of visits on the official website of the Bargello Museum: bargellomusei.beniculturali.it.
Address of the Davanzati Palace Museum: Via Porta Rossa, 13, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy.
Coordinates of the Davantsati Palace Museum: 43°46'12.6"N 11°15'09.9"E (43.770172, 11.252753).
All accommodation facilities in Florence (hotels, apartments, guest houses, etc.), including in the historical center of the city and more remotely from it, can be viewed and booked here
