Galleria Palatina

The Galleria Palatina occupies 25 former royal apartments in the Palazzo Pitti, housing one of Italy's foremost Renaissance collections with major works by Raphael, Titian, and Rubens. Unlike the Uffizi's chronological hang, the paintings are displayed as the Lorraine grand dukes originally arranged them — stacked floor to ceiling in dense, dynastic abundance, surrounded by gilded stucco and frescoed ceilings that are artworks in their own right. Grand Duke Leopold II opened the rooms to weekday visitors in 1828, an unusually progressive move for the era. The gallery passed into Italian state ownership in 1919 when King Victor Emmanuel III donated the entire Palazzo Pitti and its Baroque Boboli Garden to the nation. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 08:15; admission is charged and the building offers Wi-Fi throughout.