Museo di Palazzo Davanzati
NileGuide Expert Says:
See how people lived in the Renaissance.
User Rating:
Address:
Via Porta Rossa, 13
50123 Florence, Italy
Phone:
+39 055 238 8610
NileGuide Expert tip:
All the rooms are setup as if it is the 14th century. A great visit!
Description:
The museum is found in a narrow and characteristic side-street which connects Piazza Santa Trinita with Via dei Calzaiuoli. The building is one of the most beautiful and best conserved of the 14th century. It was built halfway though the 14th century by the Davizzi family and was passed over to the Davanzati at the beginning of the 16th century where it remained until 1838. It then was divided up and it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that it was bought and restored to the style of the old Florentine building. This was due to the efforts of the new owners, the antiquarian Elia Volpi and Leopoldo Bengujat. The interior has three floors and all the areas of the building have the original fired brick flooring and wooden ceilings. Some of the painting is original and the walls have been frescoed to the taste of the typical 14th century Florentine house. The furniture and furnishings are from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The Nuptial room has 14th century frescoes and contains two shrines and a chest filled with linen from the period. They have tried to reconstruct the work which the women did around the house. In the kitchen there is not only the household equipment of their daily life, but also the work tools, for example, the loom and the spinning wheel. The area under the building is used for antiques exhibitions and has been the site of archaeological finds.
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