Davanzati Palace Museum

The Collections

One of the most impressive areas of the palace is known as the Hall of Parrots, or Sala dei Pappagalli in the local dialect. As the name suggests, this hall is particularly colourful and perfectly sets the scene for the adjoining Hall of Peacocks (Sala dei Pavoni). The Hall of Peacocks is home to the Madonna and Child painting, which was created by Filippo Brunelleschi. Visitors will also want to allow plenty of time to truly appreciate the Virgin of Mercy, which hails from the legendary workshop of the Della Robbia.

The Museum

Constructed in the latter half of the 14th century and commissioned by the Davizzi family, the magnificent palace that houses the museum once served as the home of one of the wealthiest families in Florence. The palace was sold to the Bartolini family in 1516 and later to the Davanzati family, who lived there until 1838. When family head Carlo Davanzati committed suicide, the palace was it was divided into sections and modified. The palace was bought by the antiquarian Elia Volpi, who carefully restored it to its former glory and then opened it as a private museum in 1910 under the name Museo Privato della Casa Fiorentina Antica.

Despite Elia Volpi’s love for antiques, he sold many of the pieces of furniture and other items that adorned the palace in the years that followed, while also adding new pieces to the items that he displayed in his private museum. The palace was finally purchased by the Italian state in 1951, who decided to open it to the public. The museum is currently arranged to present a traditional Florentine home complete with furniture and household tools that hail from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Most of the rooms in the palace are open to the public such as the grand bedrooms, which boast beautiful display chests packed with linen and cots. Particularly of note here is the audience hall that can be found on the first floor and features a rare painted cabinet that was created by a Siennese in the 16th century.