Palazzo Davanzati

About the museum

Palazzo Davanzati was built in the 14th century by the Davizzi family, Florentine merchants and bankers, and later passed to the Davanzati family. It is a rare example of a Florentine residence from that century, at a transitional stage between the medieval tower house and the Renaissance palace, and it still preserves medieval painted rooms such as the Sala dei Pappagalli, the Camera dei Pavoni and the Camera della Castellana di Vergy, whose walls tell a story taken from a 13th-century French chivalric poem.

In the 19th century the building risked demolition and was saved by the Associazione per la Difesa di Firenze Antica. In 1904 it was bought and restored by the antiquarian Elia Volpi, who used it as a showcase for his business and made it world-famous as the Museo della Casa Fiorentina Antica. Purchased by the State in 1951, it was opened to the public with objects from the collections of the Florentine galleries, to which were added donations of majolica and furnishings and the collection of lace and embroidery.

The museum holds exceptional pieces such as the Coperta Guicciardini, a rare Sicilian quilted bedcover from the second half of the 14th century with the stories of Tristan and Isolde, the Trionfi of Giovanni di ser Giovanni, known as lo Scheggia, three panels with the stories of Andromeda and Perseus by the Master of Serumido, and a 16th-century Sienese cupboard painted with grotesques.

Highlights

• Sala dei Pappagalli and Camera dei Pavoni with painted walls
• Camera della Castellana di Vergy
• 14th-century Coperta Guicciardini
• The Trionfi by lo Scheggia
• Medieval kitchen and collection of lace and embroidery

Permanent exhibition

• Il museo della casa fiorentina – Route through the painted 14th-century rooms, with furnishings, ceramics, lace and embroidery and the Coperta Guicciardini.

Operated by

Istituto Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello

Visitors per year

approx. 48,679

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month (Domenica al museo), 25 April, 2 June and 4 November; on these days bookings and themed itineraries are suspended.

Reductions and free admission follow the rules in force for state museums. Optional booking (€4) through Opera Laboratori, tel. +39 055 294883, firenzemusei@operalaboratori.com.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Ramped pavement at the entrance; staff must be alerted (there is no bell) so that the mobile ramp can be placed at the door (raised threshold of 12 cm). The lift leads to the upper floors, and the thresholds between rooms (maximum 6 cm) are crossed using ramps. Accessible toilets on the ground floor. A tactile route for visitors with visual impairments can be arranged with the Servizi educativi (tel. +39 055 0649444, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9:00–12:00).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

The museum offers educational activities for schools and families. Changing table in the toilets on the ground floor.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on Via Porta Rossa, in the historic centre of Florence.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Bookshop at the entrance with guides in several languages. On the mezzanine floor there are 40 lockers with a €1 deposit. Large backpacks and bags are not allowed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit