Palazzo Strozzi

Palazzo Strozzi is a Renaissance palace and a major venue for contemporary art and cultural exhibitions. Its monumental façade, balanced proportions and colonnaded courtyard reflect the ambition of the Strozzi family, while the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi brings historic architecture into dialogue with contemporary culture.

Why it matters

Filippo Strozzi il Vecchio returned to Florence in 1466 after twenty-five years of exile imposed by the Medici. He devoted his final years to a palace that would signal the renewal of his family’s standing. Construction began on 6 August 1489, at the junction of today’s Via Tornabuoni and Via Strozzi, with Giuliano da Sangallo and Simone del Pollaiolo, known as il Cronaca, among the leading architects involved.

What to notice

The regular, symmetrical plan, graduated rustication and large mullioned windows make Palazzo Strozzi a defining example of Florentine Renaissance architecture. Its colonnaded courtyard reinterprets earlier palace models, particularly Palazzo Medici. Contemporary exhibitions extend into the courtyard and ceremonial piano nobile, creating a changing relationship between the building and the art shown within it.

Context and history

Filippo Strozzi died in 1491 before the south façade and part of the crowning cornice were complete. In 1538 the palace passed to Medici-aligned branches of the Strozzi family. The Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni acquired it in 1937 and began restoration; the 1940 Exhibition of the Tuscan Cinquecento marked its transformation into a cultural venue. The Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi was established in 2006, and the palace became a Florence seat of the Scuola Normale Superiore in 2014. Since 2024, it has been owned by the City of Florence, with the Foundation continuing its exhibition and cultural programme.