Royal Apartments Reopen at Palazzo Pitti After Five Years

After five years of closure and nine months of meticulous restoration, the opulent Royal Apartments at Palazzo Pitti are once again open to the public. This magnificent suite of 14 rooms, located on the first floor of the historic palace, was home to rulers from three dynasties over three centuries: the Medici, the Habsburg-Lorraine, and the House of Savoy. Among the first residents of this wing was Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici, son of Grand Duke Cosimo III, in the late 17th century. The Grand Dukes of Lorraine later renovated and transformed the apartments in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, while the last occupant, King Vittorio Emanuele III of Savoy, ceded the palace and the adjoining Boboli Gardens to the Italian state in 1919.

The restoration was an extensive and complex endeavor carried out by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. Their meticulous work included a wide range of interventions, from the ceilings to the floors, where carpets and old moquettes were removed to reveal impeccably preserved parquet. An in-depth cleaning and conservation campaign was also undertaken, restoring frescoes, stuccoes, carvings, silk wall coverings, draperies, paintings, furniture, and decorative objects. The decorative style of the Royal Apartments is a unique blend that reflects the tastes and eras of its various inhabitants over the centuries. Now, these rooms are once again open daily to the public, with guided visits available every hour.

A Journey Through Centuries of History

Simone Verde, Director of the Uffizi Galleries, remarked: “After five years, the Royal Apartments of Palazzo Pitti reopen to the public thanks to meticulous work that lasted several months. This extraordinary restoration brings back to life one of the most historically significant places in Italy, preserving a layered yet intact representation of different styles and lived experiences over the centuries. The apartments harmoniously showcase relics from the Medici era and the long Habsburg-Lorraine period, culminating in the contributions of the Savoy dynasty, which enriched the residence with furnishings from royal palaces across annexed territories.”

Alessandra Griffo, Curator of the Royal Apartments, emphasized the importance of this reopening: “Restoring access to these rooms allows us to perceive Palazzo Pitti as a unified royal residence rather than a collection of separate museums. The restoration respects the 1990s reinstallation, which was based on the 1911 inventory—the last to document the layout of these spaces when they were still occasionally used by the Savoy family. Only a few adjustments were made, such as rearranging certain pieces and introducing paintings previously kept in storage, with the goal of highlighting the Medici period when Grand Prince Ferdinando (1663-1713) resided here.”

Highlights of the Royal Apartments

The newly restored Royal Apartments include some of the most historically rich and artistically significant rooms of Palazzo Pitti.

• The Green Room: Once the Guard Room of Grand Prince Ferdinando’s suite, this room features an allegorical ceiling fresco by Luca Giordano commissioned in 1682 and exquisite silk wall coverings added by the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty.
• The Throne Room: Originally used for audiences by Grand Prince Ferdinando, this space later served as the Chamberlains’ Hall under the Habsburg-Lorraine and was transformed into a Throne Room by the Savoy during Florence’s brief period as Italy’s capital (1865-1870).
• The Celeste Salon: Previously the musical instrument room of Grand Prince Ferdinando, this elegant space was repurposed as a dining room by the Lorraine rulers. Its ceiling features white and gold stucco from the late 18th century, and the original Medici-era chandelier still hangs in the room.
• The Chapel: The best-preserved Medici-era space in the apartments, this room originally housed a grand alcove bed and a hidden mezzanine library before being converted into a chapel by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo in the late 18th century.
• The ‘Parrots’ Room: This room, used as an antechamber in the Medici period, derives its name from a misinterpretation of the eagle motifs on the French wall coverings installed in 1814 by Grand Duke Ferdinand III.
• The Queen’s Salon: Once the private bedroom of Grand Prince Ferdinando, this room was later used by the Grand Duchess and then by Queen Margherita of Savoy. The walls are adorned with silk damask and paintings depicting scenes from Tuscan artistic history.
• The King’s Bedroom and Study: Originally part of Grand Prince Ferdinando’s private suite, these rooms were transformed by the Lorraine rulers and later adapted by the Savoy for King Umberto I. The study features a refined 18th-century French desk once owned by the Duchess of Parma.
• The Red Salon: Decorated with intricate gold and white stuccoes from the first Lorraine period, this space was used as an audience hall and later retained its formal function under the Savoy dynasty.

Each of these rooms offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into the evolving tastes, styles, and power dynamics of Florence’s ruling families over the centuries. The reopening of the Royal Apartments at Palazzo Pitti represents a significant moment for the city’s cultural heritage, inviting visitors to step back in time and experience the grandeur of one of Italy’s most illustrious royal residences.

Access rules

The Royal Apartments are open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday. Access is regulated by scheduled time slots and limited to a fixed number of visitors per group. Visits must be booked online or directly at the ticket office on the day of entry.

The first visit starts at 10:00 AM, and the last at 4:45 PM. Tours take place every 45 minutes with the following available time slots:

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.

Groups are limited to a maximum of 20 visitors. The meeting point is located on the first floor, in the entrance hall of the Palatine Gallery. The visit lasts approximately 45 minutes and is accompanied by two staff members from the Uffizi Galleries.

To access the Royal Apartments, visitors must purchase the “Palazzo Pitti-Royal Apartments” ticket (€16 full price, €2 reduced, free admission for eligible categories). The ticket allows single entry to all museums within the Palazzo Pitti complex: Palatine Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Treasury of the Grand Dukes, and Museum of Fashion and Costume.

Admission to the Royal Apartments is included in the ticket price, with no additional charges. Tickets are nominal, non-transferable, and non-refundable. Visitors should arrive at the meeting point at least 5 minutes before the scheduled visit time. Late arrivals will result in the loss of entry due to limited group sizes. Access to other museums within Palazzo Pitti is permitted before the scheduled visit to the Royal Apartments, but re-entry to any museum is not allowed once exited.

For information on visiting hours and guided tours, visit the Uffizi website.