Palazzo Strozzi

Moving west from Piazza della Repubblica through Via degli Strozzi situated between Piazza Strozzi and Via Tornabuoni, the Palazzo Strozzi is one of the finest examples of Renaissance domestic architecture. It was commissioned by the Florentine merchant Filippo Strozzi and the foundations were laid in 1489 according to a design by Benedetto da Maiano. A year later the project was given to Simone del Pollaiolo, known as Cronaca, who worked on it until 1504 but the Palazzo was only finally finished in 1538.

The Palazzo remained the property of the Strozzi family until 1937, and since 1999 it has been managed City of Florence. Since the Second World War, the Palazzo has been Florence’s largest temporary exhibition space. Among the major exhibitions held at Palazzo Strozzi have been the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (1949), 17th century Florence (1986), Gustav Klimt (1992), La Natura Morta Italiana (2003), Botticelli e Filippino Lippi (Italy’s most visited exhibition in 2004), Leon Battista Alberti (2006) and Cézanne in Florence (Italy’s most visited exhibition in 2007).

The Palazzo Strozzi now hosts three major exhibitions annually. It is open year-round with a café/bar, and a permanent exhibition on the history of the Palazzo Strozzi. In November 2007 the spaces under the courtyard were re-opened as the Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina (CCCS). The cultural center will host a wide variety of activities including exhibitions, events, lectures, and programs designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of users of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds.

The foundation of the Palazzo produces special maps of the city containing thematic itineraries, to mark not only the major exhibitions held at Palazzo Strozzi (Bronzino’s Florence, The Florence of Money, the Florence of Beauty, Archaeology in Tuscany) but also such significant events and occasions as the 150th anniversary of Italian unity or the Vasari and Ammannati centenaries.

The maps are designed to encourage Florentines and tourists to follow fascinating itineraries that also include many of the lesser-known sites associated with given themes. Printed in numerous copies, these maps can be picked up at tourist information points and the many sites involved in the initiative, are also available in pdf on the official website of the Palazzo. This simple and effective yet culturally valid tool points up Florence and Tuscany’s unique nature as a huge open-air museum. Description by www.palazzostrozzi.org