Pitti Palace Entry Ticket with Audio App Florence

Pitti Palace, the grand palace of the Oltrarno

Pitti Palace was begun around 1458 for the Pitti family, rich Florentine bankers who wanted a residence larger than any in the city; the design is traditionally linked to Filippo Brunelleschi. A century later it was bought by the ruling family of Tuscany, extended to its present length of about 200 metres and became the main court of the grand dukes. When Florence was briefly the capital of Italy, from 1865 to 1871, it served as the royal palace.

The rough stone facade looks severe from Piazza de' Pitti, but inside are some of the richest rooms in Italy, now divided into several museums. With Pitti Palace tickets you see the main collections in one visit, which is why many travellers rank it just after the Uffizi among Florence's museums.

The Palatine Gallery and the Royal Apartments

The first floor holds the Palatine Gallery, a picture gallery kept in the style of a princely collection: paintings are hung close together in gilded frames under ceilings frescoed with gods and planets. The Rooms of Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are decorated with Baroque ceilings by Pietro da Cortona, and the walls carry more than a dozen works by Raphael, including the Madonna della Seggiola, alongside Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio.

Beyond the gallery lie the Royal Apartments, a run of state rooms redecorated in the 19th century with silk wall hangings, Bohemian crystal chandeliers, clocks and the red throne room. Plan at least an hour on this floor, and use the audio app to pick out the paintings that interest you most rather than trying to see everything.

Gallery of Modern Art and the Treasury of the Grand Dukes

Upstairs on the second floor, the Gallery of Modern Art covers Italian painting and sculpture from the late 18th century to the First World War, in elegant rooms once lived in by the grand dukes. The highlight for many visitors is the work of the Macchiaioli, Tuscan painters who used bold patches of colour to capture light on the countryside, battles and everyday life, decades before the French Impressionists.

On the ground floor and mezzanine, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes fills the former summer apartments, whose walls are covered with illusionistic frescoes. Its cases show what Florence's rulers collected: cameos and carved gems, amber and ivory, rock crystal vases, pietre dure inlay, gold work and jewellery. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for each of these two collections.

Planning your visit: opening hours, the audio app and the area

Pitti Palace opening hours are normally from 08:15 to the early evening, Tuesday to Sunday; the palace is closed on Mondays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Mornings right after opening and late afternoons are the calmest. The audio app instructions arrive with your booking confirmation, so download it on hotel Wi-Fi and bring earphones and a charged phone.

How to get to Pitti Palace is easy: from the Ponte Vecchio it is about five minutes on foot along Via de' Guicciardini. Your ticket does not include the Boboli Gardens behind the palace, which need a separate entry. Afterwards the Oltrarno is a good area to explore, with the Basilica of Santo Spirito, artisan workshops and quiet squares.