The Medici Museum is housed within the Brunelleschi Rotunda, once the seat of the University of Florence and later, for a long time, closed to the public. The building, particularly unique for its round plan, was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1434, commissioned by the heirs of Pippo Spano, a military leader of the Florentine Republic who left a substantial sum of money for the construction of a Camaldolese church.
The Rotunda, already rich in charm and extremely distinctive in structure, becomes even more intriguing as it now hosts the Medici Museum, where the history of the family is traced through a series of items such as portraits, clothing, and paper documents.
At the center of the Rotunda is a small but delightful winter garden, featuring some of the legume varieties most loved by the Medici, such as the fruit of bizzarria, a combination of citron, orange, and lemon – a monstrum, or something marvelous.
Among the various objects gathered here, the recreated garments are astonishing. While not original, they are replicas of clothing documented in portraits of the Medici family.
