The most important part of the Palatine Gallery is housed in the six front rooms and back rooms of the Pitti Palace. These rooms were used from the late 18th century onwards for the exhibition of the most important paintings (then around 500 in number) of the Pitti Palace, most of which originated from the Medici family collections.

Your visit to the gallery starts in the Statue Gallery which houses ancient sculptures from the Villa Medici in Rome, and in the Castagnoli Room.

The adjoining wing, known as Ala del Volterrano. Anna Maria Luisa, the last member of the Medici family died there, leaving behind her huge art collection to the people of Florence.

There are many masterpieces in the gallery - the Madonna and Child and Episodes from the life of St Anne by Filippo Lippi (c. 1450), the Madonna and Child with the Child St John by Raphael (c. 1516) and by the same artist, La Velata, the Child St John by Andrea del Sarto (1523) and famous portraits by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto.