This enormous 15C Renaissance palace dominates a sloping square which it borders on three sides. Only its rusticated masonry blocks soften the massivity of the architecture. Built to plans by Brunelleschi for the Pitti family, a rival dynasty to the Medici, it was acquired in 1549 by Cosimo I’s wife who turned it into a princely residence. An amazing collection of 16C-18C pictures including works by Raphael and Titian ranks the Palazzo Pitti among the world’s finest art galleries.