The palace of the Medici grand dukes and their Italian garden on the hill
Begun by the banker Luca Pitti to outshine the Medici, the palace ended up as the Medici's own residence and later the royal palace of the Savoy when Florence was capital of Italy. Today it holds several museums, led by the Palatine Gallery, where Raphael and Titian hang frame to frame on silk-lined walls as they did in the grand dukes' time.
Behind the palace, the Boboli Gardens climb the hill in terraces, avenues of cypress and holm oak, fountains, statues and grottoes, including the fantastic Grotta del Buontalenti. It is the model of the Italian garden copied by courts all over Europe. From the top, near the Porcelain Museum, the view sweeps over the Tuscan countryside.
Tip: comfortable shoes are a must, and a combined ticket includes the nearby Bardini Garden, with its wisteria tunnel in spring.
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