Pictures of Florence, Italy

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Palazzo Pitti was built in 1448 for Luca Pitti. The first plans were supposedly by Brunelleschi. It passed to the Medici family in 1549 and underwent numerous alterations over the years. Today it houses various interesting museums and galleries: The Gallery of Modern Art, The Palatine Gallery, The Argenti Museum, The Costume Gallery, The Coach Museum, The Ceramics Museum, the Royal Appartments and the Appartments of the Duchess of Aosta. The Gallery of Modern Art in Pitti Palace is located on the 2nd floor and is made up of 30 rooms. This gallery offers a complete overview of paintings from neo-classicism to the 20th century, with particular attention to the art changes in Tuscany. Included in the Gallery are some important example of sculptures, some works of foreign artists, and effective champions of 19th Century applied arts. Part of the collections from 1900 to 1945 will be showcased in the upstairs rooms of the Gallery, the so-called "Mezzanino degli Occhi," as soon as the temporary remodelling works will be terminated. The Palatine Gallery includes extraordinary masterpieces of the 16th and 17th centuries. The collection includes the work of Italian, Flemish, French and English artists, including Raffaello (with 11 famous works), the Florentine School (Fra' Bartolomeo, Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino, Caravaggio, Rubens, Van Dyck, Guido Reni, Guercino, Maratta). The quality and particular arrangement of the works makes this collection unique. All the walls are totally covered with paintings, and the decoration is completed with golden stuccos. Each of the rooms in the gallery are furnished with beautiful consoles with prestigious marble layers or Florentine mosaics in hard stones.