Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi – for a dash of contemporary culture

Palazzo Strozzi is, for Florence, a rare combination of ancient and contemporary life. It is a testament to the pride of the powerful merchant and banker, Filippo Strozzi, who dared to build a bigger palace than the Medici’s. As the closest rivals to the Medici, the princely Strozzi family were banished from the city by Cosimo the Elder but returned the richer, having established a banking dynasty in Lyon. This bombastic building has a rusticated façade and achieves a certain majesty, echoed by the inner courtyard. Such displays of ambition and ostentatious wealth were considered to be in poor taste in Renaissance Florence. Even so, as the quintessential 15th-century Florentine princely palace, Palazzo Strozzi was a highly influential model for centuries to come. The city is now a lively exhibition and cultural centre which has been fundamental in pushing the city into the twenty-first century. Florentines are also fans of the cool Strozzi Caffe off the courtyard.

Address: Piazza Strozzi, Florence
Web: www.palazzostrozzi.org