Palazzo Davanzati

The Davanzati Museum is housed in the palace of the same name. This splendid building is one of the few surviving examples of the typical Florentine 14th-century home and is halfway between a medieval tower and a Renaissance palace. Built around the 1450s by the Davizzi family, it passed to the Bartolini family in the 16th century, becoming the property of the Davanzati family in 1578 who owned it until the end of the 19th century. In 1904 it was bought by Volpi, an antique dealer, who restored it and furnished it with pieces from his collection. After changing hands on several occasions, it was bought by the State in 1951 and opened to the public in 1956. The façade, typical of the period, is decorated with the large 16th-century coat-of-arms of the Davanzati family.

The museum is of great interest because of the architecture of its interiors and the rare wall decorations, some of which have a geometrical pattern typical of 14th-century houses in Florence. The furniture, paintings, tapestries and household objects are the furnishings of the house of a noble Florentine family from the 14th to 17th centuries. Also notable the numerous paintings with profane and religious subjects, including the important triptych by Lorenzo Monaco, The Madonna and Child with Saints from 1410, the 15th-century tondo titled The "Civettino" Game by the Master of the Adimari Chest and Joseph Being Led to Prison by Francesco Granacci. Among the sculptures, the Bust of a Boy by Antonio Rossellino, as well as two busts of emperors belonging to the school of Della Robbia. Of great interest the ceramics and majolica collection covering a period from the 14th to 18th centuries and originating from various workshops.

Palazzo Davanzati
Via Porta Rossa 13 - Firenze
Ph: +39 055 2388610


For advanced reservations: Firenze Musei, Tel. 055 294883, costs € 3,00 per person (€ 4,00 per/for Galleria Uffizi or/and Accademia); School groups: Tel. 055  290112. On-line ticket sales: www.firenzemusei.it.