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Florentine Palaces & Their Stories - Janet Ross
Florentine Palaces & Their Stories - Janet Ross
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>T J
FLORENTINE
PALACES
AND
THEIR
STORIES
BY
JANET
ROSS
{All Rights Reserved']
PALAZZO ANTINORI. Page 37.
FLORENTINE
PALACES
& THEIR STORIES
BY
JANET ROSS
ADELAIDE MARCHI
I905
LONDON
J.
M. DENT & CO.
29 & 30 BEDFORD STREET, WX.
41
*>
S^^lSo
1
H)ebication
Janet Ross.
LIST OF PALACES
PAGE
PALAZZO J-
9
X /
* *- w
CASTELLO D'ALTAFRONTE . . . . .22
PALAZZO ALTOVITI . . . . . .
25
x LIST OF PALACES
PALAZZO CORSINI
PALAZZO
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PALAZZO ANTINORI
TOWER OF THE ALBERTI
....
..... Frontispiece.
PAGE
8
PALAZZO BARTOLINI SALIMBENI. PALAZZO BUONDELMONTI.
CORNER OF PALAZZO SPINI . . .
-45
TOWERS OF THE GIROLAMI AND OF THE GHERARDINI .
49
COURTYARD OF PALAZZO CANIGIANI
.
... .
.
.
.
-65
-93
89
PALAZZO MONTALVO . . .
I48 . .
.......
1
. .
55 . .
....
PALAZZO DEL PODESTA (THE BARGELLO)
......
WINDOW OF PALAZZO PUCCI
. . .
209
2 35
PALAZZI RICCARDI
RUCELLAI ..... 2 39
.......
277
SAN CLEMENTE . . . .
.296
SPINI
......
309
STROZZI . . . . .
317
UGUCCIONE 348
COURTYARD OF PALAZZO VECCHIO . . .
354
FLORENTINE PALACES
PALAZZO ACCIAIUOLI
Lung'Amo Acciaiuoli. No. 4.
"
In Borgo S.S. Apostoli in the houses of the Accia-
iuoli are many statues and many pictures of the greatest
PALAZZO ALBERTI
Via de'Benci. No. 2.
" common to
continues, the habit so many of saying that
itis enough to know how to sign one's name and to sum
up what is owing. . . Itbecame a proverbial saying in
Italv when a man was courteous and well-bred, such a
one though born and brought up among the Alberti.
is as
. . .
trafficking in noble and honest
Thev were merchants,
merchandize, and no pedlars; dealing in France and Eng-
land in cloth and wool, as do the highest and the worthiest
men of the citv, an occupation that is good and honour-
able and he that engages in it is well-considered and
*
" "
the Governo della Famiglia (as it is usually called) is
1
See Preface to Oftere Volgare di L. B. Alberti. A. Bonucci.
2
Manuale di
Lctteratitra Italia,7ia. Compilato dai Professori Ales-
sandro d'Ancona e Orazio Bacci. Vol. ii p. 75. Firenze. G. Barbera.
1904.
PALAZZO ALBERTI 15
have grown old, to this our mother city which exceeds all
others in the beauty of her monuments, I perceived that
many living men, but first of all you, Filippo, and our
dearest friend Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Luca della Robbia
and Masaccio, were not of less account for genius and
noble work than any ancient artist of great fame." Leon
Battista Alberti died in Rome in 1472, and no stone marks
the spot where one of the greatest Florentines lies,
though one of his descendants put up a monument to
him in Florence.
M "
Heindeed might serve," writes Symonds, as the
very type of those many-sided, precocious and comprehen-
sive men of genius who only existed in the Renaissance.
Physical strength and dexterity were given to him at birth
in measure equal to his mental faculties. It is recorded
PALAZZO ALBIZZI
Borgo degV Albizzi. No. 12.
PALAZZO ALESSANDRI
Borgo degl'Albizzi. No. 15.
CASTELLO D'ALTAFRONTE
Piazza de'Giudicci. No. 1.
rible flood which carried away the old statue of Mars near
the Ponte Vecchio. It must have been at once restored, as
PALAZZO ALTOVITI
Borgo degl'Albizzi. No. 18.
family gave to Florence, and during his rule the first stone
of Sta. Maria Novella was laid on May 3, 1294. Oddo,
another of Altovito's sons, was a judge like his father and
his name figures often as either ambassador or Elder until
after the battle of Montaperti, at which he was present,
1
PALAZZO DELL'ANTELLA
Piazza Sta. Croce. No. 23.
the spot against which the ball was thrown at the beginning
of each game. Hedescribes the Piazza as fenced in by
"
fifteen innanzi, or forwards," also called corridori, in
three companies of five each, who followed the ball five ;
"
sconciatori, or half-backs," whose duty it was to prevent
the innanzi from getting the ball (they often gave heavy
blows, whence their name, from the word sconciare, to
injure or hurt); four datori innanzi, or "three-quarters,"
"
and three datori addietro, or full-backs," a kind of rear-
to I must refer my readers to Mr.
the former.
guard
Heywood's delightful book Palio and Ponte for a full and
vivid account of the game of calcio, from which I extract
"
the following lines. The object of the players was to
drive the ball, with feet or fists, over what, for convenience
sake, we may term the enemy's 'goal-line,' although, as
a matter of fact, in the Florentine game there were no
goals, the whole line of posts and rails, at either end of
the field of play, being open to attack. In order to score,
it was necessary that the ball should be driven over this
line by a direct punt or a fist blow. This was called a
caccia, and the game was won by the side which gained
the greatest number of caccie. The players were allowed
to run with the ball, to kick, strike or throw it; but if,
fault; and two falli were equal to a caccia. There was also
a fallo when the ball was driven out of the field of play,
on the side of the Ditch, by a direct punt or fist blow; if,
however, it bounced out off the ground, there was no
penalty. After a caccia or two falli had been scored, ends
were changed." The victors then marched with their
banner proudly displayed, while that of their adversaries
was furled and slanted earthwards. This was a dangerous
moment, as the conquered party sometimes refused to
lower their banner, whereupon the others would fall upon
them and tear it to pieces, and men were often severely
"
wounded. The players were picked men, as scoundrels
are not to be tolerated," writes the Count Giovanni,
'
neither artificers, servants, low-born nor infamous fellows,
but honourable soldiers, gentlemen, lords and princes.
Therefore to play Calcio, gentlemen from eighteen to
forty-five years of age shall be chosen, well-matched, hand-
some, vigorous, of gallant bearing and of good repute. . . .
enemy, and show how little the Florentines cared for the
Prince of Orange, is celebrated. Trumpeters were stationed
on the top of the church of Sta. Croce, so that their
triumphant blasts might be heard by the besiegers, whose
gunners, fortunately for them, were not skilful enough
to hit them from Poggio Imperiale.
Tournaments, jousts, ballets on horseback, masquerades
and sham battles, often took place on the Piazza Sta.
Croce. Here the Duke of Athens was hailed as Lord of
Florence by the assembled people, but in the following
year for several days he held grand jousts, and the citizens
stood sullenly aloof. In 1468, when Lorenzo the Mag-
"
nificent held the lists against all comers, great was the
concourse of jousters," writes Niccol6 Valori, "the mag-
nificence of the arms and the wealth of jewels were only
PALAZZO ANTINORI
Piazza S. Gaetano. No. 3.
PALAZZO BARDI
Via de'Benci. No. 2.
Bargagli ;
so there is no representative of the ancient
and powerful family of the Bardi in the Oltrarno. They
were lords of the castle of Ruballa near Antella, and
took their name from Pagano di Bardo, who made a
donation of land to the church of Sta. Reparata of Florence
in 1 1 12. About that time the family settled in Florence in
the Borgo Pidiglioso and built so many palaces and strong
towers that the street was called Via de'Bardi. Gualterotto
de'Bardi, a canon, joined in the crusade of 1215 and, after
fighting at Damietta, became Bishop of Acre. Geri, who
bore the standard of the Guelphs at the battle of Monta-
perti, was exiled with the rest of his party by the victorious
Ghibellines, and his nephew Roberto, w ho wrote the life
T
"
On
the 24th September, 1343, the people rose against
the Bardi, Rossi, Frescobaldi, Mannelli and Nerli, Grandi
of the Oltrarno, who at once seized and held the bridges.
The palace of the sons of Messer Vieri de' Bardi was strong
and the tower well fortified, as was the house of the
Mannelli at the head of the Ponte Vecchio, then built of
wood. The people could not pass over it, nor could they
cross the Ponte Rubaconte (now Ponte alle Grazie), on
account of the strength of the palaces of the Bardi of S.
Gregorio; so they left a guard under the houses of the
Alberti and also at the Ponte Vecchio, and then, with many
soldiers on horseback, they went to the Ponte alia Carraja
which was guarded by the Nerli. The people of S.
Frediano, Cuculia and the Fondaccio, were however so
numerous that before the others arrived they had stormed
the bridge-head and the houses of the Nerli, who were
put to flight. And thus the victorious people passed
PALAZZO BARDI 41
PALAZZO BARTOLOMMEI
Via Lambertesca. No. 11.
PALAZZO BORGHESE
Via Ghibcllina. No. no.
PALAZZO BOUTURLIN
Via de'Servi. No. 15.
PALAZZO BUONDELMONTI
Piazza Sta. Trinita
"
Before thou beatest or woundest, dig thine own grave.
Give him what he deserves. Athing finished is done
with." And so his death was determined.
On Easter morn 1315 the handsome young bridegroom,
clothed in white with a garland of flowers on his head,
was riding over the Ponte Vecchio on his favourite white
56 FLORENTINE PALACES
palfrey. As he debouched into Por Sta. Maria the great
doors of the Amidei palace flew open, and the murderers,
led by Schiatta degl' Uberti who gave the first blow and
knocked Buondelmonte off his horse, killed him near the
old statue of Mars at the corner of the bridge. Well may
Dante exclaim :
11
This day witnessed the beginning of the destruction of
Florence," writes an old chronicler. The beautiful young
bride, seated on the funeral car with her dead husband's
head in her lap, went through the streets calling for
vengeance on his murderers. The city was divided into
two factions and Guelphs and Ghibellines flew at each
other's throats. After some years of incessant strife another
marriage was arranged. This time it was the daughter
of a Buondelmonti who wedded an Uberti. But at a
banquet in the same old castle of the Mazzinghi at Campi,
a quarrel arose in which Schiatta degl' Uberti was killed,
while Oddo Fifanti had his nose cut off and his mouth
slit from ear to ear. Neri degl' Uberti thereupon sent back
his wife to her father saying he would not beget children
from the daughter of a race of traitors.
The Buondelmonti were all handsome, which probably
accounts for the love stories connected with their name.
Not many years passed ere all Florence was keenly
interested in the fate of Ippolito Buondelmonti, the hero
of a manuscript Latin tale and of a ballad printed in the
XVIth century. In the Osscrvatore Fiorentino the story
"
is told as follows. Ippolito Buondelmonti, one of the
PALAZZO BUONDELMONTI 57
"
He is my affianced husband and only risked his life out of
his great love for me." The procession was stopped and
word was sent to the Podesta, who stayed the execution
and summoned the lovers and their families before him.
There Dianora pleaded for the life of her lover and for
her own love so successfully, that not only was the
marriage allowed, but the Bardi and the Buondelmonti
swore friendship. The whole city rejoiced and Ippolito
and Dianora lived most happily for many years and were
the parents of many children."
In June 1378, when the Arti, or Guilds, rose against the
nobles, and to the cry of Viva il Popolo sacked and burnt
many of the old towers and palaces, those of the Buondel-
monti, which extended from the Piazza Sta. Trinita some
way down the Borgo S.S. Apostoli, were destroyed. The
facade of the present palace, whch must have been
far more imposing before the great loggia at the top
was bricked up and divided into many rooms, was
frescoed by Jacone early in the XVIth century, with sub-
PALAZZO BUONDELMONTI 59
1
jects from the life of Pippo Spano, but all traces of his
work have perished. The name of Buondelmonti occurs
frequently in the annals of Florence among her soldiers
and her ambassadors, while Esau, son of Manente who
married a sister of the Grand Seneschal Acciaiuoli (see
p. 2.) and followed his brother-in-law to Naples where
he was made Lord High Chamberlain, attained the dignity
of King of Rumenia and Despot of Arta, but died
childless.
Zanobi Buondelmonti was implicated in the plot to
assassinate the Cardinal Giulio de'Medici, and on hearing
of the arrest of Alamanni, one of the conspirators, he
hurried home himself in one of those secret
to conceal
in the
to make gold, and part of Ottaviano's house was incor-
porated with it. The Grand Duke left the palace to Don
Antonio, his supposed son by Bianca Cappello, and Fer-
dinando I. confirmed the donation on the condition that
he never married. Don Antonio embellished the interior,
and made a beautiful garden, which he decorated with
marble and bronze statues. He took a great interest in
printing and had a private press, and continued the
chemical experiments of the Grand Duke Francesco.
Galileo was a friend of his, and Count Pier Filippo Covoni,
to whose pamphlets we are indebted for the account of this
1
PALAZZO CANACCI
Piazza S. Biagio. No. 3.
PALAZZO CANIGIANI
Via de'Bardi. Nos. 22, 24.
u
o
N
N
<
S
PL.
fa
o
Q
2S
<
>
H
as
13
O
o
\
PALAZZO CANIGIANI 67
the street, I caught her by the arm and helped her to mount
the steps of the church. Hardly was she safe inside when
our house once with such impetus against the facade
fell all at
of the Canigiani palace and of Sta. Lucia, that I
thought
the church and all the houses by the river would have been
knocked down. No bit of wall higher than one foot re-
mained standing; the vaults gave way, and the houses
were ruined to their foundations. Two horses were buried
under our house, and all our clothes, linen, and furniture,
of every description. It was only by the especial grace
the Arroti alia Pratica de'Dieci, and sat for six months.
Hearing that the Gonfalonier, through Jacopo Salviati,
corresponded with the Pope, a law was enacted,
in spite
Pope, and open her gates to the Medici. On his way home
74 FLORENTINE PALACES
Capponi met Michelangelo, who was going to study the
fortifications of Ferrara, who told him what a desperate
state Florence was in. Already ill and over-strained,
Niccolo Capponi lay down and died, as the old chroniclers
tell us, of grief and despair, in the small village of Castel-
PALAZZO CERCHI
Via Condotta
PALAZZO COCCHI
Piazza Sta. Croce. No. 1.
"
The powerful and rich consorteria," or clan, of the
Tornaquinci had their palaces, towers, loggie and shops,
where now stands this palace. Their origin is lost in
obscurity, but we know that the Emperor Otho I. allowed
them to erect dams in the bed of the Arno near their houses.
When the second circle of walls was built round Florence
the gate, afterwards called S. Pancrazio, and a square,
where now stands the Palazzo Strozzi, bore their name.
Figliocaro Tornaquinci was Consul of the army in 1166
and in 1215, and his descendants fought at Montaperti on
the side of the Guelphs in 1260. They divided into five
XlVth century, of whom only the
different families in the
head of one branch, Simone, who took the name of
Tornabuoni in 1393, interests us. His son Francesco
was Commissary with the army of Carlo Malatesta and
later was sent to Venice, to try and induce the Venetians
to enter Lombardy against the Duke of Milan. A keen
78 FLORENTINE PALACES
man of business, he stood high in favour with Cosimo de'
Medici and zealously worked to promote his return from
exile in 1434. His daughter Lucrezia married Piero de'
Medici and their son, Lorenzo the Magnificent, owed much
to her prudence and sagacity and inherited her poetic
talent. Giovanni Tornabuoni, her brother, was treasurer
to Sixtus IV. and head of the Medici bank at Rome,
where his wife Francesca died in childbirth in September,
1477, and his letter to Lorenzo de'Medici shows how
deeply he mourned her. Vasari tells us that having caused
"
a sepulchre to be made to her in the Minerva he willed
also that Domenico Ghirlandaio should paint the walls
1
of the chapel wherein she was buried." Giovanni after-
wards gave him the commission to paint the wonderful
frescoes in the choir of Sta. Maria Novella, which we
know from the diary of Luca Landucci were begun in i486
and finished in 1490; not as Vasari states between 1481
and 1485.
Luca Landucci's son Benedetto, who knew many of the
people figured in the frescoes pointed them out in 1561,
when he was eighty-nine years old, to Vincenzio Torna-
3
quinci, who fortunately noted down his words. Gio-
vanni Tornabuoni is the
right of the great central
to
window, kneeling bareheaded with his hands crossed over
his breast, and opposite to him kneels his wife Francesca,
her hands folded in prayer, with a white kerchief on
her head. Signor E. Ridolfi exposes another of Vasari's
mistakes, which has often been blindly copied without
3 "
verifying the dates. Vasari states that Ginevra de'
"
Benci, then a beautiful maiden is one of the women
in the fresco of the Visitation of Our Lady to S. Elizabeth.
1
Vasari calls him Francesco Tornabuoni. For a full account of the
much vexed question of this monument see Verrocchio. M. Cruttwell,
Duckworth & Co., London, 1904.
2
Vasari, Vol. III., p. 266 note and Manni. Sigilli, xviii., 131.
;
3
See Archivio Storico Italiano, Serie V., Tom. VI. Giovanna
Tornabuo?ii e Ginevra de? Benci. Dispensa 6a del 1890, p. 432.
PALAZZO CORSI SALVIATI 79
PALAZZO CORSINI
Via Parione, No. 7; and Lung'Arno Corsini, No. 10.
the popular party, Prince Corsini had to fly for his life,
and only re-entered Rome with the French troops. A
man of considerable culture, he enriched the celebrated
library in the palace on the Lungara, and added many fine
pictures to the Corsini galleries in Rome and in Florence.
His brother Don Neri was one of the most popular men
in Tuscany. He advocated her independence at the Con-
gress of Vienna, and obtained the restitution of most of
the art treasures which had been carried away to Paris.
As Minister of the Interior under Ferdinando III., he de-
voted himself to ameliorating the condition of the people,
made new roads, and gave a great impulse to the great
work of draining the Val di Chiana. A
strong free-
trader, he successfully withstood his colleagues who wished
to impose a heavy tax on corn ; and imbued with a dis-
trust and dislike of the Jesuits, he resolutely set his face
PALAZZO DAVANZATI
Via Porta Ross a. No. 9.
"
Quel garzonetto non ha'n corpo fiele ;
speech, for words, like coins, are more esteemed when they
contain large value in a small compass. By some he was
called Peppercorn, it may be from his brown and wrinkled
face, but more likely from the knowledge, sharp wit and
learning contained in so small a body. He was impatient
of praise, never esteeming his work perfect. The errors of
others he blamed by silence rather than by correction, and
often lamented that fortune did not favour those honest,
good and modest men, who doing much and asking little,
are not appreciated ;
but rather certain presumptuous
people, who have an excellent opinion of and praise them-
though they are of small account. Besides Latin,
selves,
he knew Greek, and was a good arithmetician his judg-;
PALAZZO DONATI
Piazza S. Piero Maggiore.
<^U ~~^-~A'.Mv'tki
uola, head of the Ghibelline and the White Party, and most
powerful in Tuscany, this report gained more credit.
The
marriage encouraged his enemies and induced the people
to abandon him, and many joined his adversaries. Their
leaders were Rosso della Tosa, Pazzino de'Pazzi, Geri
Spini and Berto Brunelleschi who, with their followers,
and a great concourse of people, went armed to the palace
of the Signori. The Signori ordered Piero Branca, Cap-
tain of the People, to accuse Messer Corso of desiring to
make himself tyrant of Florence by the aid of Uguccione.
He was cited to appear, and then condemned as a rebel
in contumaciam, and only two hours elapsed between the
accusation and the condemnation. After the delivery of the
sentence the Signori and the Compagnie of the People,
with their banners, went to take him. Messer Corso, whose
courage failed not when he saw himself abandoned by
many and heard of his condemnation, was not abashed
by the authority of the Signori or the number of his assail-
ants, but fortified his houses, hoping to be able to defend
himself until the arrival of Uguccione, to whom he had
sent for help. His houses and the streets near by had been
closed by him and fortified by his adherents, and their
defence was so valiant that the people, although numerous,
could not advance. The struggle was great, with dead and
wounded on both sides. Seeing that nothing was to be
done open the people took possession of the houses
in the
* , .1 *
fe
-HttOTO "^CCw^X^.
PALAZZO FOSSI
Via de'Benci. No. 20.
PALAZZO FRESCOBALDI
Piazza de'Frescobaldi. No. 1.
falling to pieces.
According to Verino, the Frescobaldi came originally
from Germany. They were lords of several castles in the
Val di Pesa in very early times, and their name appears
among the first Consuls and Elders of Florence. One of
them, Messer Lamberto di Fresco di Baldo, built the first
bridge (of wood) of Sta. Trinita across the Arno in 1252.
His sons Lapo and Neri fought at the battle of Montaperti
on the side of the Guelphs, and their cousin Berto rode by
the side of King Charles of Anjou and bore his banner at
the famous battle of Campaldino in 1282. Three years
later Ghino de'Frescobaldi was created a Prior, but the
power, military fame and riches, of the family aroused the
jealousy of the popular party. As Grandi they were
declared incapable of holding any office, which they bitterly
resented ;
and were driven to fury by the exile of Teglia
de'Frescobaldi, who had led the Florentine army to victory
in 1303, and was too popular with his soldiers to please a
PALAZZO GHERADESCA
Borgo Pinti. No. 93.
PALAZZO GIANFIGLIAZZI
Via Tomabuoni. No. 1.
PALAZZO GINORI
Via de' Ginori. No. 2.
PALAZZO GINORI-VENTURI
Via della Scala. No. 89.
PALAZZO GIUGNI
Via degl'Alfani.
PALAZZO GONDI
Piazza S. Firenze. No. 1.
1
For a full account of the Gondi family see Histoi7'e Genealogique de
la Maiso?i de Go/id/, par M. de Corbinelli, a Paris chez Jean-Baptiste
Coignard, Rue St. Jaques, MDCCV. 2 Vols.
PALAZZO GRIFFONI 121
in the Piazza. But this was not done, as the palace was
not finished."
The fountain in the courtyard was erected by the de-
scendant and namesake of Giuliano de'Gondi, and by
special grace he was allowed by the Grand
Duke Fer-
dinando I. to take water from the fountain in the Piazza
della Signoria. When Florence became the capital of Italy
the Via de'Gondi was too narrow for the increased traffic,
and a large portion of the old palace was taken off, but the
southern facade was admirably rebuilt. The palace still
PALAZZO GUADAGNI
Piazza S. Spirito. No. 11.
the old Porta a Balla, was let to Antonio Orsi, the warlike
Bishop of Florence.
The Guadagni seem to have been a hot-headed, quarrel-
some race. Migliorozzo fought with distinction against
Henry VII., and again at Montecatini and at Altopascio.
In 1327 he attacked and wounded his cousin Gherardo,
and then attempted to poison him and his wife. The
latter died from the effects of the poisoned cakes, and
Champeroux, etc.
in Italy, and
Jacopo, a nephew of Tommaso, remained
bowed his neck to the yoke of the Medici. He was made I
PALAZZO GUICCIARDINI
Via Guicciardini. No. 13.
PALAZZO LARDEREL
Via Tornabuoni. No. 19.
PALAZZO MANNELLI
Via de' Bardi. No. 40.
that his friend Francesco was not endowed with the pen of
a Boswell, to have preserved for us the personality of Gio-
A.#*1h I)
et beneplacitum, et mandatum.
Raimondo, his brother, sailor, and distinguished
was a
himself in an engagement against Spinola, admiral of the
fleet of Filippo Visconti, who then held Genoa. The
allied fleets of Venice and Florence met the enemy off
Rapallo on the 27th August, 143 1, but the wind was un-
favourable and many of their ships found great difficulty
in getting out of Porto Fino. Raimondo, seeing his
friends hard pressed, urged on his crew with threats, ran
down Spinola's galley and took him and sixty of his men
prisoners. He was shabbily treated by the Venetian admiral
in command, who took, not only the honour and glory, but
the prisoners and consequently their ransom, from him.
Mannelli's portrait is painted among other seafaring
worthies on one of the ceilings in the Pitti palace. Messer
Coppo's posterity died out in the XVIIth century, and the
present branch of the family descend from his brother
Nerlo, whose son Chele was surnamed Gorget, from his
uncomfortable habit of wearing that part of his armour by
day and by night. He was a good soldier, and at San
Casciano killed with his own hand the leader of a strong
body of French troops sent by Henry VII. to raid the
Florentine territory. Jacopo Mannelli took a prominent
part in the revolt against the Duke of Athens, and was
named custodian of the bridge of Sta. Trinita, but one of
142 FLORENTINE PALACES
his descendants, Filippo, a canon of the cathedral, dis-
graced the name of Mannelli by revealing the deliberations
of the Council of the Republic to the enemy. He died by
the hand
of another priest in 1536.
The
old palace and the tower ran great risk of destruc-
tion, or at the least of alteration when Vasari made the
"
corridor between the Pitti palace and the Uffizi. In order
"
to make the corridor straight," writes Mellini, it was
PALAZZO MARTELLI
Via della Forca. No. 8.
PALAZZO MONALDI
Via Porta Rossa. No. 20.
1
See Florentine Villas, pp. 42-44. Dent. London, 1902.
PALAZZO MONALDI 145
ceed to Rome left the lad Antonio, who was ill, in the
charge of the Duchess. She took him into her service, and
the clever young Spaniard gained the good graces of the
Duke, became tutor to the young Prince Francesco de'Me-
dici,and married Donna Giovanna di Ghevara, one of the
ladies-in-waiting of the Duchess. In 1568 he bought a
house with a tower and a garden, in Borgo degl'Albizzi,
from Giovanni Bonafedi, and afterwards two or three
smaller ones adjoining, and then built the palace we now
see. By the Duke's order the overseer of the works at the
Duomo supplied him with the wood necessary for the roof,
doors, windows, etc., and it appears that Cosimo also gave
considerable sums towards the cost of building. With
good reason, therefore, the grateful Spaniard placed his
master's arms, instead of his own, on the facade with the
inscription : COSMOS MAGN FLOR ET SEN D
; ; ; ; ; ;
II.
The
palace decorated in grafite, and on a line with
is
PALAZZO MOZZI
Piazza Mozzi. No. 3.
11
Mozzi brought me her writing-box, which I opened in
his presence, and of a lawyer's, in which I saw a paper
sealed with her seal, and, wrote on the cover by her,
'
A
She has left everything she was
copy of my last will.'. . .
PALAZZO NERLI
Via de'Servi. No. 10.
Castellaccio, belonged to
the ancient family of the
Nerli, praised by Dante
as living soberly ac-
still
PALAZZO NONFINITO
Via Proconsolo. No. 12.
11
In 1592," writes Baldinucci in his life of Matteo
" a house from
Nigetti, Alessandro Strozzi bought
Camillo de'Pazzi, that same Camillo who was father to S.
Maria Maddalena, and a small one adjoining with a shop,
at Canto del Papa, so-called in olden times from a family
who lived there, but afterwards called the Canto de'Pazzi;
near to where the first wall of Florence ended towards
the east with the Porta S. Pietro." They were bought
with the intention of building the fine, but unfinished,
palace we now see, and Alessandro charged Bernardo
Buontalenti not only to make the design but to super-
intend the work. Nigetti worked under him for seven
years, until the facade as far as the sills of the first floor
windows on the side towards the Duomo was finished.
"
The kneeling windows and the door in Borgo degl'
Albizzi show how great was the talent of Buontalenti,"
"
says Vasari ;
he only built the first floor of the palace,
as a difference arose with the owner about a certain stair-
case proposed by Santi di Tito, who did what little he
knew and no more, and the building was then entrusted to
other hands." Scamozzi the Roman architect was at that
time in Florence and continued the work for Ruberto
Strozzi. When he left, Caccini became the architect and
sculptured the fine coat of arms at the corner, shown in the
drawing. After his death Nigetti was once more called
in tosuperintend, and Cigoli designed the courtyard. The
Guasti family bought the palace in the XVIIth century,
and the entrance court, which till then had been open, was
roofed over. With so many architects it seems strange
that the palace should have remained in such a condition
160 FLORENTINE PALACES
as to have merited the special name of Nonfinito (the
Unfinished) in a city where but few of the great buildings
are completed. It is possible that some dispute arose
PALAZZO PANCIATICHI
Via Cavour. No. 2.
PALAZZO PANDOLFINI
Via S. Gallo. No. 74.
PALAZZO PAZZI
Via del Proconsolo. No. 10.
ary for all to kneel, the deed should be done. Their design
was nearly frustrated by the refusal of Captain Montesecco
"
to commit a murder where Christ would surely see him."
His place was hastily filled by Stefano da Bagnoni, parish
priest of Montemurlo, and secretary to Jacopo de'Pazzi,
and by Antonio Maffei of Volterra, an Apostolic notary,
who were to kill Lorenzo; while Francesco de'Pazzi and
one of his braves, Bernardo Bandini, were to fall on Giuli-
ano. Montesecco's scruples proved fatal to the success of
the plot, as the two ecclesiastics blundered and only
wounded Lorenzo slightly in the neck. Francesco de'Pazzi
did his work with such fury that he inflicted nineteen stabs
on Giuliano, and wounded himself on the thigh. While this
was going on in the cathedral, the Archbishop Salviati
went to the Palazzo della Signoria, which he intended to
seize, while Jacopo de'Pazzi was to incite the people to
revolt. Cesare Petrucci, the Gonfalonier, a shrewd man
devoted to the Medici, was struck by the Archbishop's
embarrassed manner and confused speech so he suddenly
;
left the room, locked the door behind him and went
to look out on the Piazza. There he saw Jacopo de'Pazzi
and his followers shouting "Liberty! liberty!" and at
once ordered the gates of the palace to be closed. Citizens
came running with the new s of the assassination of Giuli-
r
i
72 FLORENTINE PALACES
ano, and without a moment's hesitation Petrucci seized the
Archbishop and hung him from the column of a window
overlooking the Piazza. Some of his followers, including
Jacopo Poggio, son of the historian, were hung beside their
leader, the rest were cut down on the staircase or in the
courtyard. Francesco de'Pazzi was seized in bed at his
own house, and naked and bleeding from the wound in
his thigh was hung by the side of the Archbishop, in
whose shoulder he is said to have fixed his teeth in his
death agony.
Gugliemo Pazzi, who knew of, but did not participate
in, the plot, took refuge from the popular fury in the palace
of his brother-in-law Lorenzo de' Medici. He was banished.
Giovanni de'Pazzi, the husband of the Borromei heiress,
eventually died in prison at Volterra, and the seven sons
of Francesco de'Pazzi 's brother Piero were either hung,
condemned to perpetual exile, or to imprisonment for life.
Jacopo was caught while crossing the frontier into the
Romagna, brought back to Florence, and executed. His
body was laid in the family vault in Sta. Croce, but the mob
disinterred it, dragged it through the streets to his palace
and battered the head against the door, amidst ironical
shouts that the master wanted to come in. At length the
body was thrown into the Arno, followed, as it floated
down stream, by a jeering crowd.
In 1498 the fine palace was bought by Francesco Cibo,
son of Pope Innocent VIII. and at his death went to his
son Lorenzo, whose wife Ricciarda Malaspina was one of
the many ladies admired by the base-born Duke Alessan-
dro de'Medici. Her brother-in-law, the Archbishop of
Marseilles, then determined to murder the Duke. Varchi
"
relates that when Alessandro went to the palace he
used to sit on a certain chest which was in the room of
the Marchesana, very close to the bed in which she slept.
So the Archbishop planned to fill a similar chest with
PALAZZO PAZZI 173
the Duke
gunpowder, and to set it in the place of the one
was wont to use, and it was to be so made that he might
easily set fire to the powder inside when
the Duke sat on
it. This he did because it seemed to him that the close
friendship and great familiarity between the Duke and the
Marchesana was a matter of reproach and most shameful.
But while all things necessary for carrying out his evil
intent were being prepared, the plot was discovered. He
was imprisoned until the Emperor came to Florence, when
he was released and allowed to go where it best pleased
him."
Some ladies of the Cibo family were the first to introduce
carriages into Florence in 1536, but Tommaso Rinnuccini
"
writes :
They were not common even in the beginning of
the present [XVIIth] century, and many of the nobility did
not use them. Little by little, with the excuse of a mar-
riage, or other such pretext, many adopted them ;
some
with four, with six horses. At first
the richest even
they were small, made of leather both inside and out, and
placed immediately over the axle, so that the movement
was most uncomfortable; then they were hung on straps,
to be less rough, and finally the straps were attached to
carved bands of well-tempered steel which, yielding to any
shock, made them still more easy. The handsomest are of
black, or of coloured velvet, with fringes inside and out
and the tops gilt inside. Till the middle of the century
some of the richer inhabitants of the city used a cocchio,
which was generally lined with rose-coloured velvet and
covered with purple cloth on the top were eight gilt knobs
;
street
It is here that the famous colombina, or dove, beloved by
PALAZZO PERUZZI
Borgo de'Greci. No, 10.
PALAZZO PICCOLELIS
Via de'Pacci. No. 1.
PALAZZO PITTI
Piazza Pitti
1
Buonaccorso Pitti, in his delightful chronicle,
tells us that the Pitti, being Guelphs, were expelled from
the castle of Semifonte by the Ghibellines in 1202, when
"
they divided into three branches. We
of the third
"
branch," he writes, settled at Castelvecchio in the Val
di Pesa, where we bought large and rich estates. ... A
few years later our ancestors came to live in Florence, and
their first houses were those which now belong to the
Machiavelli in the parish of Sta. Felicita. I have heard
tell by Neri, my father, that one of our ancestors, named
shops was turned into perfect cloth. His last building was
1
Cronica di Buonaccorso Pitti, con A?i7iotazio?ie. In Firenze.
MDCCXX, nella Stamperia di Giuseppe Manni.
PALAZZO PITTI 185
It seems he
1
the Tiratoio, which cost about 3,500 florins.
did not care about taking office under the Commune, but
he was twice Prior. He was a handsome man, three
braccie in height, not fat, but with good bone and
muscle; his hair was reddish, and he was healthy and
vigorous and lived sixty-eight years, may God give him
eternal rest. His wife, my mother, Monna Curradina
degl'Strozzi, was a handsome, clever woman, of dark
complexion; she lived sixty-six years. I, Buonaccorso,
married Francesca degl'Albizzi . and till now Fran-
. .
11
The choice of such dimensions (59 metres wide and 38
metres high) shows that he immediately grasped the
advantages of a position on sharply rising ground and
knew how to use it as a mighty factor for the desired
PALAZZO PITTI 187
Cafaggiuolo.
The birth of the only son of Francesco I. and of Joan
"
Had your Highness not experienced both good and evil
fortune, you would not so well understand the misfortunes
of others." Her husband, Francesco de'Medici, however,
declared he did not want a madman at his court; and when
PALAZZO PITTI 191
ively that they were meant for the open air and for effect
at a considerable distance."
After the deaths of Francesco I. and of Bianca Cappello
within a few hours of each other at Poggio a Cajano, Car-
dinal Ferdinando de'Medici succeeded to the throne.
Quitting the ecclesiastical state, he married Christine of
Lorraine in 1589, and to amuse his young, good-looking
French wife, gave entertainments which put to shame any-
thing attempted in our days. Buontalenti, that most in-
genious of men, painter, sculptor and architect, transformed
the great courtyard of the Pitti palace into an amphitheatre
covered in with scarlet cloth, and erected a castle on the
side next the garden, while in the middle stood a stockade
entered the room the Grand Duchess was just beating her
cook with a pillow on the grand-ducal bed, and the Prince,
horrified at so novel a sight, instantly condemned the cook
to the galleys (but I believe he was eventually pardoned),
and scolding the lady with the utmost severity, with a bear-
ing more princely than marital, he forbad her ever again
to indulge in such conduct. The princess resented being
thus taken to task in the presence of the musicians, per-
chance with less consideration than she thought due to her
quelle horreur ! . . . A
famous picture, by Titian, was
turned out of the room where the canopy is, because the
figure almost turned its back to it, and none are to be
admitted there but such as respectfully present their faces
to it. The picture of Luther and Calvin was dismissed
with a Catholick fury, and, I fear, will find no better
place than in that horrid ill-painted room of Hell, at the
end of the apartment, that the young prince may see how
the enemies of the Church ought to be treated. You will
think I exaggerate, but what I have said is literally and
ludicrously true. Botta tells the Florentines who criticise
his operations, that he knows more of architecture and
painting than Andrea del Sarto, or their ancestors who
invented their Tuscan Order. Such are his occupations,
for as to government, cela va son train. Nobody interferes,
and nothing can be taxed higher than it is. The . . .
1
Mann and Manners, Vol. II, p. 102.
PALAZZO PITTI 201
A
few days after the marriage of Leopoldo of Austria
with Maria Louisa of Spain, his father died suddenly at
Innsbruck, and the fate of Tuscany was changed. The
Emperor Joseph II. ordered his brother Leopoldo to be
proclaimed Grand Duke, instead of Regent, and Mann
"
writes, The Florentines seem very sensible of their good
fortune in having a prince again to live among them,
after thirty years' bondage under unexperienced Lorrain
ministers and others, so little fit and desirous to contribute
to their welfare." . . .
" "
Though Marshal Botta made sad work inside the
palace, he a
employed good architect, G. Ruggeri, for the
outside, who in 1764 began the great loggiata, or project-
ing colonnade, at the north end of the facade, where now
is the entrance to the picture
gallery. To him is also due
the credit of taking advantage of the steep slope to create
the bastion or terrace, but of a different shape from what
we now see. The corresponding bastion on the opposite
side was added by the Grand Duke Leopoldo I. in 1783
under G. Paoletti, who also designed and half finished the
Palazzina della Meridiana, an adjunct to the Palazzo Pitti
on the garden side, where he cleverly took advantage of the
lie of the land to make the entrance on a level with the
death
to the Podesta,' and rushed out of the palace crying,
'
repair the palace until peace was made with Pisa, thirteen
years later. The work must have continued for two years,
as in August, 13 19, eighteen golden florins were expended
in order to render the house of the Cerchi a fit habitation
for the Count of Battifolle, Vicario of King Robert of
2
In an article in the Quarterly Review for July, 1904, the following
"
suggestion is made : A
theory of reconciliation is clearly required, and
easily suggests itself. May not the chapel have been originally decorated
by Giotto, and have sustained, in the fire of 1332, injuries which left
nothing but the main lines of its compositions intact ? May not the date
1337, inscribed on the left wall below the figure of St. Venanzius, refer
to a restoration undertaken, according to the original design, by the
nameless pupil who also painted the miracle of the fallen child ? Such
an explanation receives support from the fact that, on the south wall of
the chapel, the framing is not adapted to the frescoes, and is therefore
hardly likely to be of the same date."
3
the kindness of Sir Dominic Colnaghi I am informed that,
" noThrough of this name is
painter known to have worked in Florence in the
fourteenth century. Vasari evidently mixed up two painters in one
notice, i.e. Giotto di Maestro Stefano, known as Giottino, and Maso di
Banco. Antonio Billi (libro di Antonio Billi, ed. Frey. p. 14) states that
among his other works Maso di Banco painted the Duke of Athens and
his followers, on the facade of the Palazzo del Podesta."
4
By the effigy of the Duke was :
This was not the first time that malefactors were thus
held up to public execration. In 1288 Ciampollo di
Cantino and Andrea di Guido Cavalcanti, whose lives
were spared at the intercession of the ambassadors of
Siena, were condemned to lose all their possessions and to
be painted on the walls of the Podesta's palace. In 1308
Carlo Ternibili of Amelia, who stole the seal of the
Commune, was not only painted on the tower with the seal
in his hand, but on the gates of the town.
In 1345 Neri Fioravanti, with seven maestri under him,
one of whom was Benci di Cione, finished the great Hall
of Council, restored various rooms and the vaultings of
others, which were painted by Bartolo di Corso and Jacopo
di Baldo, artists of whom nothing, save their names, is
who went over to the Pope, was also figured, hung by the ]
feet, in 1377, not only on the tower of the palace, but onj
the gates of the town. But when peace was made with;
Urban VI., the painting was effaced. Eleven years later
Bonaccorso di Lapo Giovanni, who had been three times 1
1
with devils. The old palace must have been covered I
"
Superbo, avaro, traditor, bugiardo,
Lussurioso, ingrato e pien d'inganni,
Son Bonnaccorso di Lapo Giovanni."
PALAZZO DEL PODESTA 221
"Their he up to sale,
flesh, yet living, sets
Then an aged beast, to slaughter dooms.
like
Many of life he reaves, himself of worth
And goodly estimation."
Dante Pitrg., Canto XIV, Cary's trans.
All instruments of torture found in these chambers were burnt in the
courtyard by the orders of the Grand Duke Leopoldo when he abolished
the Inquisition.
222 FLORENTINE PALACES
the Podesta wished to have under his own eye, were kept,
but he could not detain them more than three days. A^
chain near the doorway marked the limit beyond which;
they were forbidden to go, under pain of severe punish- 'i
" "
or for speaking ill of the Republic," or for
unknown]
reasons." There are also common robbers and thieves \
1
Descrizione dei Delinqucnti conda,7inati a morte in Firenze. Firenze,
MDCCCI.
See Anchivio Storico Italia?io, T. I. Firenze. G. P. Vieusseux,
Editore, 1842.
PALAZZO DEL PODESTA 223
the said Boscoli, having supped, was brought with his legs
in irons into the chapel where were the Brethren of the
Black Confraternity and others. The Captain in a low
voice, not like one of the vulgar, spoke but two words, so
that few were aware of what he said until Pagolo ex- ;
not sure if you can have a friar of S. Marco, you know they
are gravely suspected and I doubt if
they will come here.
Is there no one in the Badia you would like? Who is
there? he asked. There is the Abbot, Don Giovanni
Battista Sacchetti, I replied, and some others who are held
to be good confessors. Then he said I need a man who :
I
pray you do not confuse my head (for one or another was
ever going up to him), Luca suffices, he knows my
PALAZZO DEL PODESTA 225
desire a tender love of God, with tears and sobs, and that
your intellect should accept the true faith. Then he Yes, :
for salvation, but 'tis well also to have the former. You
must force your intellect to submit to the faith I am sure ;
know full well that death has no sting for me, for we must
all die; but my Mother stands ever before me. Am I not
even to see my brothers ? And I Christ is your mother :
psalm ? And he :
Luca, I can only say paternosters and
Ave Maria's ; meaning that he knew no psalms by heart
and this he said with sorrow. And I : That is the best
prayer there pleases you, a paternoster to
is :
say, if it
not abandon me
you are put to great trouble. I said
;
:
has sent him to you, I doubt not he will satisfy you. And
he God be praised bring
: him to me.
! So Fra Cipriano
came to Boscoli, who received him with every mark of
respect; for lying on a mattress, with his legs manacled
and handcuffs on his hands, he raised himself as far as he
was able and uncovered himself with both hands, replying
to Fra Cipriano, who had said God preserve thee beloved
brother : And you also, my father, you are most Welcome.
Then turning to me Arrange things a little, so
: that he
several times
during his confession, recalling his life,
and once said Luca, as a youth I made a vow to go on
:
said Luca,
: I commend my Mother to you be to her a ;
third son. Console her with all your strength, she needs
it; go and visit her often during her life, which will not be
charity O salvation
! of the world Be merciful to me. !
And the tears streamed from his eyes with such devotion
and tenderness that he seemed a young girl. Agnolo, . . .
and with most loving accent said Lord, thou art my love
: ;
love all things, for I love all for love of thee. Here am I,
Lord; I come willingly; grant me courage and strength.
And this he said with such tenderness that all who heard
were in tears. . . . And half-way down the stairs he met
the Crucifix of the Brotherhood, and said What ought :
comes to arm you. Salute him, honour him and pray that
he may give you strength. Then he Salve Domine Jesu; :
that I
accept it willingly for love of
suffer this death, I
1
In the archives are the sentences pronounced by the various Signori
which are too characteristic to omit.
"
13th Feb., 1529. Alessandro Corsini continues in his evil courses a ;
the lower floor, being next to the kitchen, was turned into
a pantry, and above were cells. The very name of the
palace was lost, for henceforth it took the name of its new
inmate, and was known as the Bargello. Uccelli says the
word is derived from the debased Latin Barigaldus (Bara-
chel in Spanish), meaning head of the police, princeps
apparitorum. The Roman apparitores were the adminis-
trators of justice who preceded the magistrate, called by
the Longobards berrovieri. The word was shortened, the
" "
e became an " i," and thence the familiar Tuscan
appellation of birri, a name of opprobrium given by the
1
criminal classes to the police.
In 1S41 an Englishman and an American, Mr. Seymour
Kirkup and Mr. Wilde, applied for permission to uncover
the frescoes in the chapel of the Bargello. After infinite
delays the government decided to do the work itself, but
" "
unluckily employed an incompetent artist who restored
the portrait of Dante. A
nail had been driven into the eye,
and when pulled out it brought away a piece of plaster;
this he restored, and then heightened the colour of the
face to suit his own eye, altered the shape of the headdress
and changed the green of the white, red and green dress,
into a dingy brown. Mr. Kirkup fortunately made a
tracing and a coloured sketch of the head when it was first
uncovered, which was published by the Arundel Society
of London, and thus a record of the real portrait exists.
In 1847 the people rose against the birri, who had made
themselves odious by their insolence and violence, and
would have released the prisoners in the Bargello if the
civic guard had not been called out. Ten years later
1
Opus cit.
234 FLORENTINE PALACES
the Grand Duke gave orders that the building should be
restored,and all the prisoners removed to the Murate. In
i860 it was finally decreed that the weatherbeaten, stern
old Palazzo del Podesta should be turned into a national
museum.
PALAZZO PUCCI
Via de'Pucci. No. 4.
PALAZZO RICCARDI
Via Cavour. No. i.
PALAZZO RICCARDI
PALAZZO RICCARDI 241
R
242 FLORENTINE PALACES
isthe greater, as this is the first palace built in Florence
in the modern style, containing suites of rooms both
useful and beautiful. cellars are four braccie below
The
ground and three braccie above, so as to afford light,
and near them are store rooms and pantries. The
floor consists of two courtyards with magnificent
ground
loggie, out of which open halls, drawing-rooms, waiting-
rooms, studies, bakeries, kitchens, wells, and commodious
public and secret staircases.
On the upper floors are
apartments for a family, with every convenience that can
serve, not only for a private citizen, as Cosimo then was,
but for a magnificent and powerful king." The palace
was begun in 1444, according to Gianozzo di Bernardo
1
Galviati.
A more detailed account of the palace is given in
floor, cut a corner out of the chapel. Part of the wall was
utterly destroyed and the figure of the third King, the
portrait of the Greek Patriarch, is cut in two. His mule
has lost one leg, and the upper part of the fresco on the
wall which was moved forwards is a daub by some inferior
PALAZZO RICCARDI 245
his return from Careggi, and his life was only saved by
the presence of mind of young Lorenzo. He observed
armed men as he rode into town before his father, and
sent a messenger back to tell the bearers of Piero's litter
to take a roundabout country lane, whilst announcing that
his father was but a short way behind him. The defection
of Luca Pitti was a deathblow to the conspiracy and to
his own fortunes. Neroni and Soderini fled to Venice,
Agnolo Acciaiuoli to Naples, whence he wrote to Piero
to excuse himself :
"
Ilaugh at the tricks of fortune, and how she turns
friends into foes. Thou may'st recall that when thy father
was exiled, thinking more of his disaster than of mine
own peril I lost my country, and was well nigh losing my
life. Never during my friendship with Cosimo did I
cease to honour and favour thy house, neither have I,
since his death,had any intention of offending thee. It
is true that thy bad health and the tender age of thy
children so alarmed me, that I thought it were better to
give such form to the State that our country should not
fall toruin after thy death. Hence arose certain events,
not directed against thee, but in favour of Florence, which
even if erroneous merit forgetfulness, on account of my
good conscience and my past actions."
"
Piero's answer to this epistle was :
Thy laughter is
the reason why I do not weep for wert thou laughing
;
love this city less, or have served her worse, than the
Acciaiuoli. Live therefore in dishonour where thou art,
not known how to live with honour here.'
:
as thou hast
Piero de'Medici was forty-eight when his father died.
He inherited his love of letters and was of a kindly
" "that
nature, it was due to him," writes Machiavelli,
his partisans did not stain their hands with the
blood of their fellow-citizens." In June, 1469, his son
Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini, and great took
festivities
The Signoria put the price of 2,000 scudi on his head and
the same on the head of his brother, Messer Giovanni the |
known, that you are not of the blood of the Medici. I say
this, not only of you, but of Pope Clement, wrongfully
a Pope, and now most righteously a prisoner in S. Angelo.
As for you, leave a house and a city, neither of which are
yours by the right of either birth or of merit. Go, and lose
"
no time.'
Quitting the Medici palace, the Cardinal and the two
lads rode out of the Porta S. Gallo and for the third time
the Medici were exiled, and their noble palace was attacked
by the mob who were with difficulty restrained from setting
it on fire. The arms of the Medici were everywhere defaced
and the waxen counterfeits of the Popes Leo and Clement
were torn from their places in the church of the Annunziata
and destroyed (see p. 380).
After the terrible privations suffered by Florence during
the siege under the Prince of Orange, her citizens were
fain to bow their necks once more to the Medicean
yoke.
In obedience to an order motu proprio, ct de
plenitudine.
potestatis, from Clement VII., they declared that con-
sidering the excellent qualities, life and habits of the
Most Illustrious Duke Alessandro de'Medici, son of the
late Magnificent Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and in recogni-
PALAZZO RTCCAKDI 261
asleep.
"The lady in question was Caterina Ginori, sister to
Lorenzino's mother. She lived close to the back entrance
of the Palazzo Medici and was as virtuous as she was
beautiful. But she lived in a poor way, as Leonardo, her
husband, had dissipated his patrimony and was living as
an outlaw in Naples. The Duke, falling in love with her
with the other hand and opening the blade with his teeth
stabbed the Duke in the throat. Raising the bleeding
body from the floor they placed it on the bed and Lorenzino
wrote on a sheet of paper Vincit amor patriae landtimque
immenso ctipido, and laid it on the corpse. Then locking
the door they went to the Bishop Angelo Marzi, who kept
the keys of the city gates and was alone authorized to
grant permits for post horses. Knowing the friendship
which existed between the Duke and his cousin, the
Bishop never hesitated about giving the permits and the
*
murderers left Florence at once." There was consider-
able alarm in the Palazzo Medici next day when the Duke
did not make his appearance. All the houses he was likely
to frequent were searched in vain, and at first it was
question."
'
At this moment, when it only needed some one to
"
begin a tumult," writes Varchi, Signor Cosimo arrived
in Florence with but a few followers. As the son of Signor
Giovanni, of fair aspect, and having always displayed a
kindly disposition and a good understanding, he was
liked by the people and they acclaimed him as the heir to
Duke Alessandro with great affection. Showing neither
PALAZZO RICCARDI 267
1
See Cronachctte Storiche Florentine. Pierfilippo Covoni. Firenze,
1894.
2/o FLORENTINE PALACES
PALAZZO RIDOLFI
Via Maggio. No. 13.
PALAZZO RONDINELLI
Via della Forca.
fellows lifted the stone of the vault. The fresh air revived
she
Ginevra, who sat up, whereupon the men, thinking
was a ghost, fled. Ginevra called her women, but to her
horror saw she was surrounded by skeletons, and under-
stood what had happened. Slipping off the linen bands
which tied her hands, she was able to set her feet free.
The moon was full as she climbed the steps out of the
vault, and wrapping her shroud around her she crossed the
Piazza, and went down the small street which has, they
say, ever since borne the name
of Via della Morte, to her
husband's house. Francesco opened the window when she
1
knocked, but thought that the spirit of his dead wife was
asking for suffrages, and promising to have masses said
for the repose of her soul, shut the window. Ginevra then
went on to her father's house, where her mother sat weep-
ing by the fireside, and in the old popular ballad in ottava
rima by Agotino Velletti, we read :
"
Fugli risposto anima benedetta,
:
2
Va, che Dio ti conservi in santa pace."
PALAZZO RUCELLAI
Via della Vigna Nuova. No. 20.
11
First I thank him for having given me life and made
me a rational and an immortal creature, for he might as
easily have made me a mortal beast without intelligence.
'
again ;
and he left her with me for a long time, as she
lived more than eighty years and was a great consolation
to me.
" Also
I thank him for the most worthy wife he gave
Oricellari.
Of the six children of Bernardo Rucellai and Nannina
de'Medici two merit especial mention Palla, who took
:
to send thee ;
but there is not to be found a man capable
of doing it in the way I desire. Still I hope to send thee
I have
a sketch if fate so wills it. already learned to say
nani and oi (yes and no), and I can give a kiss without
smacking my lips." When Giovanni de'Medici became
Pope, young Giovanni Rucellai followed him to Rome and
entered the Church. He was for some time Papal Nuncio
in France and afterwards Clement VII. made him Castel-
lano of S. Angelo.
Giovanni Rucellai 's Rosmunda shares with the Sofonisba
of Trissino the glory of being the first Italian tragedy.
It depicts the well-known
story of Alboin, who turned
the skull of his wife's father into a wine-cup, out of which
he forces her to drink. When Giovanni died in 1526 he
bequeathed to his brother Palla and to his friend Trissino
a poem on bees. An eyewitness related to Scipione
Ammirato how " these tw o friends when together in a
T
PALAZZO SALVIATI
(now a school of the scolopi friars)
had imposed upon the Great Duke, the Pope and the Car-
dinal, and all those w ho took her part. All that he said on
T
figure, tall, and well made, but that the features of her face
resemble too much those of her father to be handsome.
She is gay, lively, very affable, and has the behaviour of
a well-bred Frenchwoman, without assuming the least dis-
tinction among our ladies on account of her new dignity.
. . The new Duchess has appeared at the Theatres
.
"
writes Sir Horace again in December, decays every day,
visibly. His daughter did w ell to come in time to reap his
r
succession, for which she will not wait long. The facul-
ties of hismind are as w eak as his body."
r
"
I breakfasted with Lord Normanby, who has
got a house
extending 200 feet in front, court, garden and stables, for
about ,280 a year. His house was originally fitted up
for the Pretender, and C.R.'s are still to be seen all over
the place."
The of San Clemente, to whom the
Velluti-Zati, Dukes
palace now
belongs, descend from one of those great mer-
chant families of Florence whose members were able to
turn their hands and their brains to anything. The first
time the name occurs is early in the XHIth century when
Piero di Berto, surnamed Velluti, had a cloth factory in
Oltrarno, and dealt largely in wool. His son Buonaccorso
fought at Montaperti in 1260, and when he died thirty-six
years later was reputed to be one of the richest merchants
in Italy. He built a palace and a tower, together with
factories and houses for his workpeople, on a podere, or
farm, called La Casellina (Via de'Velluti and Via de'
Vellutini still mark the site). The Corsini, the Ridolfi and
the Corbinelli built such fine houses near his, that the
3 oo FLORENTINE PALACES
street was called the Via Maggiore (afterwards shortened
into Via Maggio).
Lippo, Buonaccorso's son, was the first of twenty-nine
Priors of his house, and many of the Velluti filled import-
ant posts under the Republic as ambassadors to Lucca,
Naples and Tunis, and as governors of various subject
towns. One of the most famous of the family, and eminent
as a jurist, was Donato, born in 13 13. He filled the im-
portant post of Gonfalonier of Justice several times, was
elected advocate of the poor, went to Bologna as ambas-
sador in 1344, and in the same year was sent to Arezzo
to quell a rebellion that had broken out in that city. A few
months later he represented the Commune of Florence in
negotiating a peace between Perugia and Siena* Donato
Velluti was several times ambassador to various courts of
Europe, and wrote a chronicle which deals chiefly with
family matters. In reading it one gathers how terrible the
plague must have been in those days. Instead of mention-
ing a year, he perpetually dates events as "before (or
after) the great mortality." He nearly died of it, and
records that he owed his life to the devotion of his wife
Monna Bice de'Covoni, " for hardly one in a hundred
escaped." Agnolo degl'Albizzi, husband of his wife's
sister Monna Ginevra, died of the plague of 1348, and
Ginevra of the next epidemic in 1363. She had been left
with four small boys, whose story, as related by Donato,
will give an idea of the greater part of the chronicle.
'
hearing mass the King would ride on his small mule into
the entrance hall of the house and send for Andrea, who
came down with his nightcap on his head, his habit being
to go to his study and write for two or three hours, and
then he would dress and brush his hair. The King seeing
'
him thus said Andrea, is it not shameful that you,
:
what I had to
expect and any dower I might receive, I
could live well, and decided to take unto myself a wife.
But it did not turn out as I thought, for my gains were far
less than I had calculated and
my expenses much greater
than I had imagined, in addition to which I had to
buy
PALAZZO SAN CLEMENTE 303
PALAZZO SERRISTORI
Via de'Renai. No. 2.
PALAZZO SODERINI
Piazza Soderini. No.
PALAZZO SPINI
Via Tomabuoni. No. 2.
right, and scolded the man well and made him take a
proper flask. When Cisti saw it he said Now I know :
Guelphs ;
and our only intent is to liberate our necks from
the chain which the people have put upon you and upon
us, and then we shall be more powerful than we are now.
Therefore, by God, let us be one, as we ought to be."
When later there was discord in Florence because the
Ghibellines wished to send an embassy to salute the
Emperor Henry VII. who was at Pisa, and the Guelphs,
with Messer Rossa della Tosa, Messer Pazzino de'Pazzi,
Messer Betto Brunelleschi and Messer Geri Spini at their
head, refused, old Dino finishes his chronicle with an out-
"
burst of indignation. Oh, iniquitous citizens, who have
corrupted and vitiated the whole world by evil ways and
illicit gains. It is you who have introduced every bad
PALAZZO STROZZI
Piazza degV Strozzi, No. 4; and Via Tornabuoni.
Florence, both for Greek and Latin books; and all the
books he could find he purchased, on all subjects, being
minded to found a most noble library in Santa Trinita
because it was in the centre of Florence, a site of
great
convenience to everybody (Vespasiano)."
During the struggle for supremacy between Rinaldo
degl' Albizzi and Cosimo de'Medici, Palla degl' Strozzi,
"who "
was," writes Machiavelli, a peaceful man, well-
mannered and kindly, better fitted for a life of study than
for keeping a party in check and
averting civil discord,"
tried to preserve a neutral attitude. But the presence of so
enlightened and rich a citizen seemed dangerous to the
Medicean party, and after the return of Cosimo de'Medici
from exile in 1434 he was banished to Padua, where he
died, separated from his children, who shared the same
fate in other parts of
Italy. The wonderful bust of his
"
daughter Marietta by il bravo Desider si dolce e
bello,"
as Raphael's father called Desiderio da
Settignano, is one
of the treasures of the Palazzo Strozzi. His cousin Matteo,
married to Alessandra Macinghi, was exiled at the same
time, and the Strozzi property having been confiscated,
she was left in dire poverty with six small children. After
her husband's death at Pesaro, she sent her eldest
boy,
Filippo, to an old family friend who had a house of
business in Palermo. She must have been a lovable,
courageous, and sensible woman, judging by her letters. 1
When the last boy left her she wrote to Filippo I have :
"
no treasure but you my three sons, and for welfare
your
I have sent
you from me, one after the other, without a
thought of my own happiness." When Filippo set up on
his own account at Naples she
longed to join him, but
1
Lettere di u?ta Ge?itildon?ia Fiorenti?ia. Publicate da Cesare Guasti
^irenze. G. C. Sansoni. 1877.
y
322 FLORENTINE PALACES
thought wiser to stay in Florence and work for the pos-
it
'
State with many noble plants, introducing the gentile j
Let it be known to
that Filippo di Filippo, painter, has engaged
all
to paint for Filippo di Matteo degl' Strozzi, his chapel in Sta. Maria
Novella, next to the high altar, under the following conditions In the :
marine of the finest, of the cost of at least 4 "fiorini larghi" the ounce,
and the shafts and capitals are to be adorned with painting and gold,
according to necessity. And on either side there are to be two stories
[paintings] the subjects to be given by the said Filippo Strozzi and the ;
sides of the window, and the and the arch of the chapel inside
pillars,
and out, and the coats of arms, are to be ornamented as the said Filippo
orders and in every place where it be necessary such gold and ultra-
;
marine as is called for, shall be used, and every other colour shall be
good and perfect. And the said Filippo di Filippo promises to the said
Strozzi to paint it in fresco and to finish it with all the care and diligence
he is capable of; and all with his own hand, especially the figures.
And it is agreed that the said Filippo is to have for his work, with
painting, colours, azure, scaffoldings, lime, wood and everything else, so
that the said Strozzi shall have no other calls upon him, 300 fiorini di
35 fiorini now, when he begins the work,
*
suggello paid as follows :
1
i. e. of perfect alloy and weight. A fiorino was worth about 6s.
324 FLORENTINE PALACES
for the wood, lime, and other necessaries the remainder, up to ioo
;
as he works, but so that 50, or at least 40, fiorini shall remain, which the
said Strozzi promises to pay punctually when he has finished, which he
promises to do by the 1st March, 1480. . .
he was building for use and not for show, and intended to
arrange many shops under the house as a source of income
for his sons. This was strenuously opposed, the extreme
two days old, and Nannina had but a few days before made
him a new overcoat of silk, shot green and yellow, and
thus may it ever be to the glory of God."
In a few days the foundations of the palace on the side
next to the Piazza were rilled in and work had begun, to
the great discomfort of the neighbours particularly of the
;
more than fifty lire piccioli." Filippo also forbids his heirs
house or even to let it, save to a Strozzi. The
to sell the
two houses mentioned in the will are in reality but the
one palace which was built to serve for two separate
families; a fact often forgotten when the internal arrange-
ments are criticized. Filippo's widow did her utmost to carry
"
out his wishes. She was most desirous," writes her son
Lorenzo, "to husband the family wealth for her sons, so
that when the}' attained majority they might not find their
paternal inheritance diminished or the house unfinished."
In the family archives the building may be followed week
by week by payments to the various artisans until 1507
"
when, writes Giovanni Cambi, Selvaggia, for account of
her sons, finished her part in obedience to the will, but
" "
Alfonso [Filippo's son by his first wife] took no heed
of it and did not hasten to take up his abode in the house.
He began by inhabiting the ground floor and then con-
tinued building little by little for his own need and use,
so that the said building will remain imperfect and do dis-
honour to their father." Lorenzo Strozzi confirms this
when in mentioning the will he adds " It is as though he
:
1
He wanted to pull down all the houses to the north and make a fine
square as far as S. Michele Bertelde and to the south a garden, which
;
light was over and Luisa wished to mount her horse, he,
being impudent and shameless, pressed forward to aid her
repeating the words and the actions of the night before;
and with most angry scorn she replied to him as he
deserved. The affair passed, and would perhaps have had
no consequences, had Giuliano been satisfied with using
discourtesy towards a gentlewoman such as she was, and
not openly boasted of his behaviour. ..."
It was customarv on every Friday in March for people
to go up to S. Miniato to obtain pardon for their sins,
and Luisa's brother Leone Strozzi, Prior of Capua, Giuli-
ano Salviati and other young nobles, stood watching the
ladies come out of the church. As Luisa passed Giuliano
made some insolent remarks, so the Prior said: " Giuli-
ano, you perhaps do not know that she is my sister;"
whereupon Giuliano repeated his insulting words. On the
following night, as Salviati was returning on horseback
from the Palazzo Medici, he was assaulted by three
strangers and wounded in the face and on the leg, so that he
was lame ever after. Duke Alessandro was furious, and
gave orders that the assassins must be discovered. Sus-
Carriages were only introduced into Florence about 1534.
1
Seep. 173.
336 FLORENTINE PALACES
picion, of course,
fell on the Strozzi. Piero, Leone the
Prior, and two of their friends were arrested, and there
was a question of putting them to the torture; but Clement
VII. interfered, and ordered that nothing more should be
done. Piero Strozzi and his brothers, knowing their lives
were in danger, took horse and went to Rome. Meanwhile
Luisa, who had remained in Florence with her husband,
supped joyously one night, as the old chronicler Segni
reports, with her sister Maria,
wife of Lorenzo Ridolfi. A
few hours afterwards she died in excruciating agony, and
her body turned black. Her relations insisted on a post
mortem examination, and the doctors declared that she had
died from the effect of some virulent poison. Varchi more
than hints that her own family were the culprits, out of
"
fear that the Duke, by means of some treachery orfraud,
purposed to stain the honour of their family in the person
of Luisa." But Segni and others agree that, having re-
pulsed the Duke Alessandro, as she had done Salviati, his
infamous wife poisoned her by the Duke's orders. Not
long after the death of the beautiful Luisa, her father and
her brothers were declared rebels and outlaws by the Duke
Alessandro. The sentence was confirmed by his successor
Cosimo I. because Lorenzino de' Medici, after he had
murdered his cousin the Duke Alessandro, fled to Venice
where Filippo Strozzi hailed him as a second Brutus.
The exiles invaded Tuscany, but were beaten Strozzi
;
Philippo Strozzae.
Satis hoc; caetera norunt omnes;
"
the other, also in Latin, for a cenotaph in some foreign
city," gives us his opinion of himself.
11
To Filippo Strozzi, by far the most illustrious of all
Tuscans in nobility, learning and wealth who, when ;
been about this time that he bought the Gondi houses and
tower adjoining Sta. Maria Ughi, for he was despatched
on an embassy to Savoy soon afterwards, and being waylaid
on his return by Visconti was imprisoned in Milan until the
peace of Ferrara in 142S. His absence, and the high rate
of exchange consequent on the war, caused his bank to
fail; and he came back a sadly impoverished man. He
must, however, have kept the Gondi houses and re-made
a certain fortune, as Flerr v. Fabriczy cites an entry in the
catasto of 1451 in the State archives: "All the houses
mentioned on the opposite page have been incorporated
into one house for my own usage," and this is confirmed
"
by a marginal note of a clerk of the catasto. All these
houses are being arranged for him [Palla] to dwell in, as
1
Le~_Famiglie Celebre Italiane, del Conte Pompeo Litta. Vol. V.
342 FLORENTINE PALACES
Nicholo di Ciennj saw them being demolished in order to
1
make one house."
Michelozzi is generally credited with having designed
the palace, but Herr v. Fabriczy and'Herr v. Geymliller
agree in attributing the beautiful courtyard and the upper
floor to another hand, probably Giuliano da Majano.
When Michelozzi left Florence in 1460 nothing is more
likely than that he charged his friend and pupil Giuliano
to finish which, according to the catasto
the building,
was done have entered into these details because
in 1469. I
could would put its head into the baskets of the peasants ;
it
only cost two. What is certain is that when this was
known in Florence the boys, as is their custom, made a
song about him, and none could stop their singing these
words, put into rhyme by themselves, in all the streets :
"
Messer Luigi Delia Stufa
Ha fitto il capo in una buca,
II qual non ne puo uscire,
Se il gran non val tre lire."
(Messer Luigi Delia Stufa
Has put his head into a hole,
Out of which it can't be drawn,
Until wheat costs three lire.)
PALAZZO TORRIGIANI
Piazza de'Moczi. No. 6.
PALAZZO UGUCCIONE
Piazza della Signoria. No. 6.
PALAZZO VAI
Via Cavour. No. 31.
PALAZZO VECCHIETTI
Via de'Vecchietti. No. 2.
W
>
N
N
<
<
A.
fa
Q
<
>
S3
u
PALAZZO VECCHIO 355
PALAZZO VECCHIO
"
On the 24th February, 1299, the foundations of the
Palazzo de'Priori, for the Commune and the People of
Florence, were laid," writes Giovanni Villani, "the Priors
not feeling themselves in safety where they had hitherto
lived, that is to say in the house of the Cerchi behind the
church of San Procolo." Arnolfo Cambio was the archi-
tect chosen to build the palace, and he took as his model
the one built at Poppi by his father Lapo. Vasari's story
that he could not make it square and straight as he desired,
because the people would not allow him to build where the
houses of those hated Ghibellines the Uberti once stood,
is not borne out by history, for Villani states, and various
documents dating from 1299 to 131 1 confirm his words,
that the site occupied by the houses of the Uberti was made
into a square, so that it might never again be built
upon.
Houses of other citizens, such as the Foraboschi and the
Delia Vacca, were bought, and where they stood was erected
the palace. The tower of the Priors still retains the name
of the latter family, one of whom, Falcone Delia
Vacca,
was an Elder of the city in 1260, and from it the street
"
opposite is called Vacchereccia. When in those good
'
old times Guelphs and Ghibellines, Whites and Blacks,
flew at each other's throats, and the great bell to
rang
call the people to arms, the saying was la vacca mugghia
(the cow is lowing).
Vasari's statement that\Arnolfo filled up most of the old
tower to build his own uporfwas disproved in The
1814.
architect del Rosso, in executing some restorations in the
old palace, discovered a small dark room which had been
walled up, and which he surmised, probably
correctly, to
have been the famous Alberghettino, or Barberia, where
Cosimo the Elder was immured, and in later Savon-
days
35 6 FLORENTINE PALACES
arola. In one corner of this room is a rectangular opening,
or well, the bottom of which is about ten and a half feet
below the level of the courtyard; various underground
passages, to which access is
obtained by a man-hole in the
guard-room, communicate with it and seem to bear out
the old tales of secret trapdoors down which unhappy
Vasari is also wrong in
prisoners disappeared for ever.
saying that part of the church of San
Piero Scheraggio
was destroyed at the same time, for it was only partially
1
alur, to tell the merchants that the dinner hour had come.
The big" bell cracked and in 1373 was recast by a certain
Ricco di Lapo, when it was said that it could be heard
for thirteen miles round the When
the Florentine
city.
arms were victorious,
rang days
it token
for of triumph,
in
until Duke Alessandro de'Medici destroyed it in 1532.
The Gonfaloniers and the Priors lived entirely in the
Palazzo Vecchio during the two months they were in
office and were not allowed to go out save on pressing
business affecting the Commune. No one could speak to
them in private, they were forbidden to accept any in-
vitations and no one could dine with them save the notary
of the city; but their dinners, served on silver plate, were
"
excellent and their wines choice. Rastrelli writes Ten :
until Duke Cosimo I. removed them to the Piazza San Marco. Great
was the rejoicing in the city when a lioness had cubs Villani notes the
;
birth of two in 1331 on the day of S. Jacob, in July and a few years
;
later of six, which he records as a glory for the city and a sign of
prosperity for the Commune. Another old chronicler, Paolo Minerbetti,
relates how "in 1391 there was much discord and a great battle among
the lions, and a lioness who had cubs
every year was killed, which was
regarded as of evil augury by the citizens."
PALAZZO VECCHIO 363
was then determined to use certain moneys " the Jew Isahac
owes to the Monte, or public pawnshop, for rebuilding the
Council Hall in the Palace of our Magnificent Signori."
This second decision also came to nought, as the money
of Isahac werrtrto- rebuild the walls and castle of Castrocaro.
At last, in 1472, Giuliano di Nardo da Majano and Fran-
cesco di Giovanni, alias Francione, were charged to do the
work. Vasari attributes it to Benedetto da Majario, and in
his life of that artist gives a long description of how he re-
built the Sala__deJD_ugento, and made two rooms above it ;
is not fitting that the woman should kill the man also she ;
1
By Verrocchio, now in the Bargello.
PALAZZO VECCHIO 377
trunk ;
it is impossible to
say on which leg he stands, or
which he uses to exert his strength; nor does he seem to
be resting upon both, as sculptors who know something of
their art have occasionally set the figure. It is obvious
that the body is leaning forward more than one-third of a
cubit, which alone is the greatest and most insupportable
fault committed by vulgar commonplace pretenders. Con-
cerning the arms, they say that these are both stretched out
without one touch of grace or one real spark of artistic
talent just as if
you had never seen a naked model. Again,
the right leg of Hercules and that of Cacus have got one
mass of flesh between them, so that if
they were to be
separated, not only one of them, but both together, would
be left without a calf at the point where they are touching.
PALAZZO VECCHIO 379
They say, too, that Hercules has one of his feet under-
*
Annunziata. "
upon them, they carried them off"; which deed was severely, and to my
thinking justly, blamed by good and prudent men."
PALAZZO VECCTIIO 381
AN.SAL.M.D.XXVII.S.P.Q.F.
The curious thing isthat Segni gives two other different
inscriptions and that none of the three coincide with the
one still over the door
PALAZZO VITALI
Borgo degl'Albizsi. No. 26.
PALAZZO VIVIANI
Via S. Antonino. No. 9.
gotten, for his bust is over the door and the story of his
life is told in certain inscriptions on either side." From these
favourite of King
Robert, i ; Symonds' description of, 15-16;
Dardano, Gonfalonier of Justice, house of the Rucellai attributed
i
Dardano, builds the church of
:
to, 113 architect of the Palazzo
;
Thebes and Bceotia and drives 17; Luca, adherent of the Medici,
the Spaniards out of Greece, 5 ; 20; Maso, founds the greatness
Xiccola, appointed guardian of of Florence, 17-18 Piero, is be- ;
tice when the first stone of Sta. Vasari's description of the palace,
Maria Novella was laid, 28 ; 43-44 origin of the frieze on the
;
monte, his quarrel with Oddo of, 72, 168 ; Niccolo, elected
Fifanti, 55 his marriage with a
:
Gonfalonier, 72 proclaims Jesus
;
nelli'sHercules, 378.
Caccini, one of the architects of Cerchi, Piero Monaldi on the, 75-
Palazzo Nonfinito, 159. 76 Vieri de', called to Rome by
;
epitaph of favourite horse of, 24. against the avidity of the Floren-
Capponi, Marquess Alessandro, tines, 179 on the storming of
;
Marquess Gino, last of his branch the Cerchi and the Donati, 313,
of the family, 70 Gino, takes ;
Pope as Clement
XII., 85 ;
77-
Matteo, family historian, 82, 83 ;
Delia Casa, Giovanni, Bishop of
makes large fortune in London, Benevento, author of Galateo,
83 author of the Rosaio del/a
;
160.
Vita, 83 Neri, 82
; Neri, made ;
Donatello, 143-144.
a Cardinal by Clement XII.,
Donati, palaces and towers of the,
rules the Papal States under four forces his sister
92 Corso, 76
; ;
Fioravanti, Neri di, rebuilds the cois Paul, Cardinal de Retz, 120.
Palazzo del Podesta, 213-214, Grazzini (Lasca), poem by, 91.
217. Griffoni, Ugolino, 122.
Fiorentino, Niccolo, medals by, 79. Grosso, Niccolo (Caparra), 9, 123,
Firenzuola, Simone di, 115. 33i-
Firidolfi, Ricasoli, account of the, Guadagni, Alessandro, builds the
100 chapel in the palace painted
;
Palazzo in the Piazza del Duomo,
by Vasari, 99. 128; Bernardo, Gonfalonier of
Fontana, Carlo, architect of Palazzo Justice bribed by Cosimo de'
Capponi, 70 of Palazzo Pancia-
; Medici, 127 Pierantonio, founds
;
comes a naturalized French sub- described by, 96, 97, 98; on Luca
406 INDEX
Pitti, 185, 186 on Cosimo de' ;
tion and marriage of, 267, 336,
Medici, 241, 243, 249 on the ; 337, 338, 339, 34o, 349, 35, 37^,
murder of Giuliano de'Medici, 384, 388 ; Cosimo II., Grand
251, 252 on Niccolo and Tom-
; Duke, lengthens the Palazzo
maso Soderini, 305, 306; on Piero Pitti, 195, 196; marriage of, 389,
Soderini, 307,321, 3 6 5, 36. 390 Cosimo III., Grand Duke,
;
her death, 144; Lodovico, a poet, Nere), 160, 294 Giovanni de' ;
is made a Car-
143 Lodovico, duel of with G.
; (Leo X.), 163 ;
Medici, Alessandro de, 25, 36, 60, Giovan Gastone, Grand Duke,
72, 74, 81, 84, 109, in, 112, 129, 199, 291 ;
Giuliano de', 35 ;
mur-
131 attempted murder of, 172,
;
der of, 251, 293, 306, 379,
171,
2 37, 2 59, 260 created Duke, ; 380 ;
Giuliano de' (Duke of
261, 262 263, 265,
;
murder of, Nemours), 255, 256 marriage ;
266, 293, 335, 336, 351, 357, and death of, 257 statue of, 258; ;
lito and Alessandro out of Pope, 260, 261, 333 Ippolito de', ;
Palazzo Medici, 260, 333 ; Cardinal, 72, 81, 259, 260; charac-
Cosimo de' (the elder), 18, 19, 26, ter of by Varchi, 261 dies of ;
71, 74, 113, 144, 146, 156, 185, 186, poison, 262 Isabella de', 189; ;
220, 234, 237 ; builds the Medici Lorenzo de' (the Magnificent),
palace, 241, 242 ;
character of, 25, 26 his entry into the lists
;
241 banishment
;
and return of, described by L. Pulci, 35, 51, 71,
245 ;
death of, 247 ;
Gibbon on, 78; deference of to his mother,
and men of 80, 107, 108, 168; attempted
mur-
246 patron of artists
;
69, 84, 102, 114, 116, 122, 124, description of, 250 death of, ;
128, 131, 135, 141, 142, 156, 162, 252, 270, 283, 287, 293, 306,
succeeds to the 322, 324, 325, 326, 343
Lorenzo
187, 232, 237 ;
;
256 ; Lorenzino
house of, de', Nigetti, Matteo, rebuilds the Palazzo
mur-
112, 113; description of, 262; de' Bardi, 39 one of the archi-
;
Medici into the lists described by, of the laying of the first stone of
35, Sex the Palazzo Strozzi, 226-227,
328 of the giraffe sent to
;
"
Avignon, 288-289 author of ;
the Compagnacci against
Rosmunda, etc., 289-290 Gio- ; Savonarola, 314 north facade of ;
vanni, his
tessera, 291; Giulio, the palace rebuilt, 315.
suppresses the tribunal of the Strozzi, Progenitor of the, 316 ;
game of chess described by, 281- po, account of, 322 marriages of, ;
case and fireplace in by, 120, 221 ; Passerini, Ippolito and Alessan-
probable architect of Palazzo dro de'Medici to leave Florence,.
Strozzi, 331 of part of Palazzo
; 334 his daughter Luisa insulted,
;
Hercules, by
description
of,
Valori, Filippo, 25, 26 ; Bacio, 25, Benvenuto Cellini, 378-379 ;
26 ;
decorates his house, 27 ;
Leonardo da Vinci's fresco in,
Niccolo, 26, 35, 80 Francesco, 73. ; 379 destruction of the wood-
;