Palazzo Medici Riccardi

The prototype of the Renaissance palace, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi was built from 1444 by Michelozzo for Cosimo de' Medici, the banker who ruled Florence in all but name. Its rusticated stone facade, elegant arched windows and heavy crowning cornice set the enduring template for the great family palaces that followed, projecting power through dignified restraint rather than showy display.

The jewel within is the Chapel of the Magi, a tiny private oratory covered floor to ceiling with Benozzo Gozzoli's fresco of 1459. The Procession of the Magi winds across the walls in a glittering pageant of horses, hunting parties and richly dressed courtiers, threading recognisable Medici portraits and Florentine landscapes into the sacred story. Vivid, minutely detailed and lavishly gilded, it is one of the most enchanting fresco cycles of the entire fifteenth century.

The palace evolved over time. After the Medici moved out to grander quarters, the Riccardi family enlarged it in the seventeenth century, adding a Baroque gallery with a swirling ceiling fresco by Luca Giordano celebrating the apotheosis of the dynasty. A courtyard, a walled garden and rooms of sculpture and antiquities complete a building that spans three centuries of shifting Florentine taste.

For visitors, the palace stands on Via Cavour near the cathedral and the San Lorenzo complex, and it is far less crowded than the city's major galleries. Timed entry to the Gozzoli chapel strictly limits numbers, so booking ahead is advisable, and the whole visit takes about an hour. Admission is moderate. The building now houses regional government offices alongside the museum. Any time of year suits the indoor tour, with the surrounding streets liveliest in the temperate months of spring and autumn.