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Royal Palace

The Museum is located on the piano nobile of the Royal Palace, built between 1583 and 1587 along the Lungarni at the behest of Francesco I de' Medici. It chronicles the court collecting of the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine, and Savoy dynasties, together with the history of important private Pisan collections. Among the works on display are Duchess Eleonora di Toledo's gown, paintings by Bronzino, Rosso Fiorentino, and the very young Raphael, armaments from the Gioco del Ponte, the atelier of Italo Griselli, and other significant 19th- and 20th-century works.

ROYAL PALACE

The Royal Palace stands in one of the most historically significant areas along the Pisan Lungarni. Built at the end of the 16th century at the behest of Francesco I de' Medici, designed by the celebrated architect Bernardo Buontalenti, the palace incorporated ancient medieval structures (including towers and domus of the Caetani and Del Testa families) to become the official residence of the grand ducal court in the city. It subsequently passed to the Lorraine and, with Italian Unification, became the residence of the Savoy family, maintaining its character as a refined seat of political and cultural representation. The museum route winds through the sumptuous historic apartments and conveys the atmosphere and taste of court collecting. Among the artistic gems preserved is the extraordinary portrait of "Eleonora di Toledo with her son Francesco" by Agnolo Bronzino, an undisputed masterpiece of Mannerism, accompanied by works by Rosso Fiorentino, the young Raphael, and Guido Reni. An element of exceptional rarity is the court gown belonging to Eleonora di Toledo herself or to a lady-in-waiting of her court, perfectly preserved (circa 1560). The museum is also distinguished by its exceptional collection of tapestries from the grand ducal era, the rich collection of artworks by surgeon Antonio Ceci, the Arms Collection of the Gioco del Ponte (with armor dating from the 16th-18th centuries), the collection of paintings and sculptures from the House of Savoy, and the Gipsoteca with plaster casts by sculptor Italo Griselli. A fascinating journey that reveals the most elegant and aristocratic face of Pisa