Palazzo Strozzi

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Façade.

Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy.

According to Giorgio Vasari, it was begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano, for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, an unfortunate rival of the Medici who had returned in the city and desired the most magnificent palace to reassure his family prominence. A great numbers of other buildings was acquired and demolished to provide enough space for the new construction. Giuliano da Sangallo the Younger is know to have provided a wood model. Filippo Strozzi died in 1491, long before the construction's completion in 1538. Duke Cosimo I de' Medici confiscated it in the same year, returning it to the Strozzi thirty years later.

Palazzo Strozzi is a splendid example of civil architecture with its rusticated stone, inspired by the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, but with more harmonious proportions.

The palazzo has mullioned windows and a magnificent cornice, typical of the Florentine palaces of the time, left incomplete by Cronaca, who continued the construction of the palace until 1504. Also by Cronaca is the courtyard, inspired by Michelozzo. The famous wrought-iron lanterns that decorate the corners of the palace exterior, are by the able artisan, Caparra.

Today the palace is used for international expositions like the annual Antique Show, the Italian High Fashion shows and other cultural and artistic events. Here also is the seat of the Istituto Nazionale del Rinascimento and the noted Gabinetto Vieusseux, with the library and reading room.