Palazzo Medici Riccardi

Palazzo Medici Riccardi is a 15th-century palace in central Florence built for the Medici banking family and one of the early examples of Renaissance civic and domestic architecture. It was commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici and executed under the architect Michelozzo in the mid-15th century.

The rusticated stone façade and the inner courtyard, plus the Chapel of the Magi, which contains a celebrated fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli painted in 1459. The palace later passed to other families and institutions and today houses museum rooms and offices with preserved interior decoration.

Construction and decoration in the mid-1400s established the palace as a model for later Florentine residential architecture, combining civic presence with private apartments and formal spaces. The building sits in Florence’s historic centre, close to major landmarks such as the Duomo and the Medici family’s other properties.

• Builder and architect: The palace was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici and built in the mid-15th century by Michelozzo, making it a formative example of Renaissance domestic architecture in Florence.
• Key artwork: The chapel frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli date to 1459 and are among the building's most visited interior features.

What to See #

• Chapel of the Magi: The **Maggiore Chapel (Cappella dei Magi)** inside the palace contains a famous cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli painted in 1459 and depicting the Procession of the Magi.
• Cortile and façade: The inner courtyard and rusticated façade are early Renaissance features executed under the direction of architect Michelozzo for the Medici family in the mid-15th century.