Palazzo Davanzati

Palazzo Davanzati was erected in the second half of the 14th century by the Davizzi family, who were wealthy members of the wool guild.

After escaping the numerous demolitions of 19th century Florence, it was bought by Elia Volpi, an antiquarian, who restored it in (his impression of) the original style.

In 1910, Volpi opened the building as a private museum (Museo Privato della Casa Fiorentina Antica).

The palace consists of a façade that unifies a grouping of earlier, medieval tower homes that the owner purchased with the intent to put them together.

The Sala dei Pavoni's frescoes show instead a false-geometrical tapestry and a row of coat of arms of families allied with the Davizzi.

The impannate were cotton or linen textile panels that were dipped in colored wax and put in a wood frame to be inserted in the windows as a substitute for glass, which was very expensive at the time.

The kitchen is at the top floor because the hot air rising from cooking stayed away from the lower living spaces in the heat of summer, and also to minimize damage in the event of an out-of-control fire.

The room features a fireplace with bellows and two turnspits, a wooden bread-kneading machine, a metal butter churn and other tools dating from the Renaissance period or later.