PALAZZO PITTI, Grand Dukes' Treasure - Mezzanine

Climbing a private staircase, you'll reach the mezzanine: in these thirteen smaller, almost "secret" rooms, you'll feel like you're entering a treasure chest of overwhelming richness with the pietra dura sparkling in the showcases, the luxurious furniture decorated with pietra dura panels, and the ceilings frescoed with magnificence. The objects are subdivided by material here as well, and have all been worked with incomparable art.

In the collection of engraved jewels, small busts, and bas-reliefs in gold, enamel, and pietra dura, I'd like to point out a beautiful oval plaque that depicts Piazza della Signoria. The showcases overflow with magnificence and unlimited imagination: you'll also be drawn to the statuettes and small robots made by German goldsmiths between the 1500s and the 1600s.

You'll find an unusual collection of sacred German silverware from the 14th to the 19th centuries: the Grand Duke Ferdinando III di Lorena brought them back to Florence when he returned to the city in 1815 after the Vienna Congress. Don't miss the portable altar in golden silver and mother-of-pearl....