THE PITTI PALACE

On Wednesday my Mom and my little sister came on my Renaissance Art tour of the Pitti Palace Palatine Gallery with Prof. Carrara. After the 2 hour tour ended, we spent an additional 3 hours exploring the Boboli Gardens, the Argenti Museum, and the Costume Museum in the Pitti Palace after re-visiting the Modern Art Gallery, which is a personal favorite.

ENTRANCE OF THE PALATINE GALLERY

The Palatine Gallery, on the first floor of the piano nobile, contains a large collection of over 500 Renaissance paintings, which were once part of the Medicis' and their successors' private art collections. The gallery, which overflows into the royal apartments, contains works by Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Rubens, and Pietro da Cortona.

BEAUTIFUL STONE IN-LAY TABLE

ROYAL PITTI PALACE APARTMENTS

The character of the gallery is still that of a private collection, and the works of art are displayed and hung much as they would have been in the grand rooms for which they were intended rather than following a chronological sequence.

ANTONIO CANOVA SCULPTURE

The finest rooms were decorated by Pietro da Cortona in the high baroque style. Initially Cortona frescoed a small room on the piano nobile called the Sala della Stufa with a series depicting the Four Ages of Man which were very well-received; the Age of Gold and Age of Silver were painted in 1637, followed in 1641 by the Age of Bronze and Age of Iron. They are regarded among his masterpieces. The artist was subsequently asked to fresco the grand ducal reception rooms; a suite of five rooms at the front of the palazzo. In these five Planetary Rooms, the hierarchical sequence of the deities is based on Ptolomeic cosmology; Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, but minus Mercury and the Moon which should have come before Venus.

VIEW FROM THE THRONE ROOM

MY GREATEST TEACHER, MY MOM

Spread over 30 rooms, this large collection includes works by artists of the Macchiaioli movement and other modern Italian schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The pictures by the Macchiaioli artists are a particular favorite, because this school of 19th-century Tuscan painters led by Giovanni Fattori were early pioneers and the founders of the impressionist movement.

MAX ERNST AND DE CHIRICO EXHIBITION

WINGED VICTORY ABOVE THE MEDICI CREST

ENTRANCE TO THE BOBOLI GARDENS

I'm so happy and excited to have my Mom here to visit! I have been proud of myself because I have not really gotten homesick since arriving in Italy but I am happier than ever being able to share my life here in Florence with my Mom and sister. My Mom has been spoiling me, taking me to lunch and dinners around town and shopping for my upcoming internship! But she also shares and inspired my great love for art and we were ale to spend 5 hours exploring the Pitti Palace, one of my favorite museums together. Love you Mom!

ARCHITECTURE OF THE PITTI PALACE

The Palazzo Pitti is characterized by a severe and simple architecture. One continual architectural theme used throughout four centuries has produced massive but impressive elevations and façades which belie the long evolution and history of the structure. The architecture commands attention by virtue of size, strength and the reflection of the sun on the glass and stone.

LOOKING OUT TO THE PALACE

Land on the Boboli hill at the rear of the palazzo was acquired in order to create a large formal park and gardens, today known as the Boboli Gardens. The landscape architect employed for this was the Medici court artist Niccolo Tribolo, who died the following year; he was quickly succeeded by Bartolommeo Ammanati.

STAIRWAY FROM THE AMPHITHEATER

The original design of the gardens centered on an amphitheater, behind the corps de logis of the palazzo. The first play recorded as performed there was Andria by Terence in 1476.

ONE OF THE MANY BOBOLI FOUNTAINS

FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GARDENS

THE COSTUME MUSEUM

Situated in a wing known as the "Palazzina della Meridiana", this gallery contains a collection of theatrical costumes dating from the 16th century until the present. It is also the only museum in Italy detailing the history of Italian fashions.

DRESS DISPLAY CASES

One of the newer collections to the palazzo, it was founded in 1983 by Kristen Aschengreen Piacenti; a suite of fourteen rooms, the Meridiana apartments, were completed in 1858.

STUNNING SPARKLING DESIGNS

THE SILVER MUSEUM TREASURES

The Silver Museum, sometimes called "The Medici Treasury", contains a collection of priceless silver, cameos, and works in semi-precious gemstones, many of the latter from the collection of Lorenzo de' Medici, including his collection of ancient vases, many with delicate silver gilt mounts added for display purposes in the 15th century.

SMALL VIEW OF THE ROYAL JEWELRY COLLECTION

These rooms, formerly part of the private royal apartments, are decorated with 17th-century frescoes, the most splendid being by Giovanni di San Giovanni, from 1635 to 1636. The Silver Museum also contains a fine collection of German gold and silver artifacts purchased by Grand Duke Ferdinand after his return from exile in 1815, following the French occupation.
Sorry I haven't had much time to write lately! Spring Break was amazing. All of the beautiful cities I visited in Portugal and Spain were very different from one another and inspired me in different ways. My Mom and my little sister, Breanne, are here in Florence visiting me for the next week. I am so happy to have them here, experiencing my beloved Florence with me. I surprised them at their hotel on Sunday night because I returned two days early from Barcelona. They are staying at an adorable little hotel a block away from the Duomo. We have spent a lot of time exploring the city and eating at Florentine restaurants. On Tuesday my Mom was able to accompany me on my Modern Italian Art History tour at a private gallery containing several Fattori and Nomellini pieces.