A beautiful residence of the 17th century, full of works of art, belonging to a noble Florentine family can be truly fascinating. And even more so if you think it was inhabited by the same family for more than four centuries, one generation after the other until 1986.

Now the Martelli palace in Florence has become a museum and it is open to the public since 22 October.

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The origins of the Martelli family can be traced back to around the year 1350. They were part of the Arte di Calimala, the guild dedicated to the trade of fabrics, one of the corporations that controlled the arts and trades in Florence between the 12th and 16th century.

In 1738 Niccolò and Giuseppe Maria Martelli employed the architect Bernardo Ciurini to transform several houses into the present palace. The interior was decorated in the taste of the period with paintings by Vincenzo Meucci, Bernardo Minozzi and Niccolò Conestabile, with stucco ornamentation by Giovan Martino Portogalli.

The fine collection of art works belonging to the family was arranged in a specially designed suite of rooms. The palace is the last example of an 18th-century Florentine collection, with the exception of the Corsini collection, that has been preserved intact.

The paintings include works by Piero di Cosimo, Beccafumi, Salvator Rosa, Luca Giordano and Dutch paintings of the 17th century.

The palace together with the furniture and art works, was acquired by the Italian Government in 1998. Now it is open to the public two times a week on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. It is located in via Zannetti 8, very close to the Duomo.

Visits must be booked in advance calling Firenze Musei +39 055 294883

Casa Martelli Museum

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