Palazzo Davanzati
Palazzo Davanzati is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Florence audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Florence Florence guide
About Palazzo Davanzati
A perfectly preserved 14th-century Florentine merchant's palace, now a museum of medieval domestic life with frescoed rooms, period furniture, and a remarkable vaulted courtyard.
The Palazzo Davanzati is one of the best-preserved medieval merchant palaces in Italy, offering an extraordinarily direct window into the domestic life of a prosperous Florentine merchant family of the 14th and 15th centuries. Built by the Davizzi family around 1350 and later acquired by the Davanzati family in 1578, the palazzo retains much of its original structure: a ground floor designed for commerce, with the merchant's loggia (now enclosed) facing the street; upper floors with great halls and private apartments; and a remarkable vaulted internal courtyard with a well.
The rooms are furnished with period furniture and textiles, much of it collected by the antiquarian Elia Volpi who owned the palace in the early 20th century. The Sala dei Pappagalli (Room of the Parrots) preserves remarkable 14th-century frescoes depicting a French courtly romance, while other rooms show the range of painted decoration that once covered the interiors of prosperous Florentine houses.
Did you know? The Palazzo Davanzati's well is connected by a chain that runs all the way to the top floor, so servants could haul water to any level of the house without multiple trips to the courtyard.
How long should you spend at Palazzo Davanzati?
Plan about ~60 min at Palazzo Davanzati. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Palazzo Davanzati worth visiting?
Palazzo Davanzati is one of the 42 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Florence, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Florence
Hear the story of Palazzo Davanzati
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