The Costume Gallery occupies the neo-Classical Palazzina della Meridiana, built in 1776 for Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine. It is probably the most interesting of the Pitti's smaller collections.
This collection is exactly what it sounds like, a museum of the history of fashion in Florence, particularly at the Grand Ducal court.
The collections concentrate on outfits from the 1700s to the 1920s, but also display Renaissance clothing from as far back as the 16th century.
The dress in which Eleonora of Toledo was buried, made famous by Bronzino's intricate depiction of its velvety embroidered silk and in-sewn pearls on his portrait of her in the Uffizi, is usually on display.
Piazza Pitti (cross the Ponte Vecchio and follow Via Guicciardini; you can't miss it)
tel. +39-055-238-8614
www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Tickets: Select Italy
Galleria Palatina, Appartamenti Reali, and Galleria d'Arte Moderna:
Tues–Sun 8:15am–6:50pm
Galleria del Costume, Museo degli Argenti, Boboli Gardens, and Museo delle Porcellane:*
Tues–Sun as follows:
Jun-Aug 8:15am–6:50pm (Boboli Gdns: to 7:30pm)
Apr-May, Sept-Oct 8:15am–6:30pm
[portions of Oct and Mar after/before switches daylight savings time: 8:15am–5:30pm]
Nov-Feb 8:15am–4:30pm
* Museo delle Porcellane closes 15 min. earlier
Museo delle Carrozze: Currently closed
(Pitti Palace is free the first Sunday of each month)
Tickets: Select Italy
Firenze Card: Yes
Bus: C3, D
Hop-on/hop-off: Pitti (A)
Planning your day: Budget at least two hours for a cursory visit of just the Galleria Palatina and Appartamenti Reali.
If you plan to venture into
the Boboli Gardens, give it another hour.
If you have only passing interest in the other museums, each will take about 20 minutes.
Note that the last entry for every museum or part of the Pitti complex is 1 hour before closing.
The major parts of the Pitti Palace complex (Galleria Palatina, Apartamenti Reali, Boboli Gardens, and Porcelain Museum) are covered by the Firenze Card—free admission, no waiting in line. » more
If all you're into is the art, you can get a ticket covering just the Galleria Palatina and Modern Art Gallery for €8.50.
If, however, you'd like to wander the rest of the collections (and gardens) as well, don't spend another €6 or €7 on the separate collective ticket. Instead, get the "biglietto cumulativo," an all-access pass for €11.50 that lets you into all the Pitti galleries, apartments, and gardens for three days.
Or just use the Firenze Card.
Take a guided tour of Palazzo Pitti with one of our partners:
Pitti Palace tours
Boboli Gardens toursWarning: The Pitti Palace seems to revel in closing a handful of its (lesser) museums for years at a time—lately, it seems to be the collection of fancy carriages in the Museo dell Carozze.
Just which ones will be closed at any given time and for how long works on some mysterious schedule I have yet to discern. Check before visiting if missing, say, the costume gallery or the porcelain museum will spoil your vacation.
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Piazza Pitti (cross the Ponte Vecchio and follow Via Guicciardini; you can't miss it)
tel. +39-055-238-8614
www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Tickets: Select Italy
Galleria Palatina, Appartamenti Rrali, and Galleria d'Arte Moderna:
Tues–Sun 8:15am–6:50pm
Galleria del Costume, Museo degli Argenti, Boboli Gardens, and Museo delle Porcellane:*
Tues–Sun as follows:
Jun-Aug 8:15am–6:50pm (Boboli Gdns: to 7:30pm)
Apr-May, Sept-Oct 8:15am–6:30pm
[portions of Oct and Mar after/before switches daylight savings time: 8:15am–5:30pm]
Nov-Feb 8:15am–4:30pm
* Museo delle Porcellane closes 15 min. earlier
Museo delle Carrozze: Currently closed
(Pitti Palace is free the first Sunday of each month)
Tickets: Select Italy
Firenze Card: Yes
Bus: C3, D
Hop-on/hop-off: Pitti (A)