The enormous Pitti Palace is one of the largest architectural monuments in Florence, transformed into a museum
housing great collections of paintings as well as silver, porcelains, costumes of the period,
and the palatial apartments lived in by the Medici Grand Duke and his wife Eleanora of Toledo, and their family.

The original palazzo was designed by Brunelleschi for the wealthy and important Pitti family,
and constructed by the architect's pupil Luca Fancelli. in 1457.
In 1549, the Medici bought the property, and the Grand Duke Cosimo 1 de Medici enlarged and altered the
existing structure, adding a grandiose courtyard and two lateral wings.
Later embelishments were added in the 18th century.

The gallery seen here is one of the many rooms of the Palatine Gallery of paintings, mostly from the Renaissance,
and hung in the fashion popular at the time of the Grand Duke, with multiple layers of paintings like we see here.
The disadvantage for the modern viewer, is that it is often difficult to see the paintings hung just below the ceiling level.
Many galleries in the Pitti have grand frescoes on the ceilings as well.

The great hillside behind the Pitti Palace is known as the Boboli Gardens, formal gardens that can be visited
with separate ticket.