Gondi Palace was designed in 1489 by Giuliano da Sangallo, Lorenzo the Magnificent's favourite architect, for the banker Giuliano Gondi the Elder. Its facades are designed with three degrading orders of rusticated stone ashlar. It was built on the ruins of an ancient Roman theatre, above which there was a tower that housed the study of the notary Ser Piero Da Vinci, father of Leonardo.
Leonardo Da Vinci, from his father's notary window drew the Hanged Man and probably also the Annunciation.
The Palace was inaugurated in June 1495, on the occasion of a visit of the Duke of Urbino to Florence.
In 1600, a beautiful fountain was added to the courtyard. In the 1700s and early 1800s, various restoration and embellishment works were carried out to adapt some of the rooms to the taste of the time, such as the first floor alcove frescoed by Matteo Bonechi.
Panoramic views, spacious and luxurious interiors, central in Florence, make Gondi Palace the perfect location for unique and high level events.
In 1870, architect Giuseppe Poggi was commissioned by the Municipality of Florence to widen the narrow road between Palazzo Gondi and Palazzo Vecchio. Poggi demolished the ancient tower incorporated in the palace and rebuilt the corner, completing Giuseppe Sangallo's design. Then he built a terrace on the first floor on Via dei Gondi and used the ancient drafts from the tower for the façade below.
The restoration and maintenance works of the palace continued also in the 1900's. Amerigo Gondi transformed the attics and the historical altana into an apartment with terraces with a unique view over the monuments of Florence.
In 2005 Bernardo and Vittoria Gondi carried out a huge restoration that lasted 6 years. The aim was to give Gondi Palace a new Renaissance and be again an active part of Florence life. A historic residence but also an exclusive location for events.
Although not large measuring only two bays by three, the silent and majestic courtyard attracts the attention for its richness in sculptural decorations, in contrast with the sobriety of the building's facade. It is considered one of the most beautiful courtyards of the Renaissance Florence.
An elment of the courtyard of Gondi Palace is traditional: Sangallo followed the Florentine style using arches on columns rather than his normal preference, the motif of arches and piers used in his buildings in Naples.
What distinguishes it from other Florentine courtyards is also the use of an external staircase.
Large hall with coffered ceilings dominated by the monumental fireplace in stone fort designed by Giuliano da Sangallo. Over the fireplace, two large statues of Hercules and Samson like Numi Tutelari, protect the door and windows of the palace. On the walls, portraits of the most famous figures of the French Gondi branch, who supported the two Medici queens, Caterina and Maria. Adjacent to the fireplace room, two living rooms frescoed by Matteo Bonechi and Niccolò Contestabili.
In the old irregular vaulted cellars our wines produced at Tenuta Bossi continue to refine at the shadow of Palazzo Vecchio.
Via dei Gondi, 2, 50122, Firenze
Piazza San Firenze, 1, 50122, Firenze
VAT/IVA: IT059551940484
(GPS: 43.7695486,11.2572314)
+39 055 2670177
