Renaissance

The Museo di San Marco began as a monastery of the Dominican friars around 1437 when Cosimo de’ Medici commissioned the architect Michelozzo to renovate the old complex building. The present building is a masterpiece of Renaissance art and houses a rich collection of works, in particular by Beato Angelico, who lived and worked here for most of his life.

The Uffizi, built between 1560 and 1580 to a design by Giorgio Vasari, is among the most important museums in the world for its extraordinary collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the modern age).

Originally the residence of the wealthy Florentine banker Luca Pitti, this magnificent palace was purchased in 1550 by Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, who established his court there with his wife Eleonora of Toledo. After two centuries, from 1737, the palace was to be the residence of the Lorraine family, who succeeded the Medici in the Grand Duchy, and later of the Savoy family during the five years when Florence was the capital of Italy.