Ferdinando I and Cristina of Lorraine
In 1587 Francesco I and his wife, Bianca Cappello, both died suddenly. His brother Ferdinando I was immediately recalled from his residence in Rome, the Villa Medici, to assume his brother’s title as grand duke. Ferdinando had been made a cardinal in 1563, and had largely resided in Rome. Upon his return to Florence, he decided to make Palazzo Pitti his proper, permanent residence. Two years later in 1589, he married Cristina of Lorraine and the palace was finally able to demonstrate its great potential. Among the many festivities that took place there to celebrate the marriage, the most famous was the “Naumachia”, a mock naval battle that took place in the courtyard, flooded for the purpose.
The new scale of entertainment necessitated new construction. Ferdinando made a significant contribution to the evolution of the Pitti by initiating one project and completing two others left unfinished by his predecessors. In terms of size, the major undertaking was the construction of a large, unornamented building at the southwest corner of the palace. The earliest references to the New Kitchens (nuove cucine), as it was called in the payment documents, are dated August 1588. Convenient to both state apartments and guest suites, it was connected to the Pitti's new main staircase on the south side of the palace by a covered, overhead bridge. Like most large palaces, Pitti contained two separate kitchens, one for the family (cucina segreta), another for the household (cucina commune), thereby facilitating the preparation of different menus for family and staff. The separation of cooking facilities from the main body of the palace, a feature found in medieval Florentine palaces and elsewhere, minimized problems of excessive heat, odor, and fire. Ammannati and Cosimo must surely have been aware of this practice. It was the practice in some of the houses (just to the north of Michelozzo's Medici Palace) that had been been purchased in 1468 to accommodate household services. The new structure of the Pitti replaced two separate kitchens that were located on the ground floor at the end of either wing, and its construction liberated space in the palace that was needed for housing. Despite its size the new structure was inadequate. Within half a century another kitchen was provided for guests on the second floor of Parigi's western addition, and projects datable to the 1660s proposed further revisions to the service area.
The other projects were located at the northeast corner of the garden. The Great Grotto, whose construction was begun by Vasari in 1556 and resumed by Buontalenti in 1583, was finally completed during Ferdinando's reign (1587-1608). At the same time, the Corridoio was extended into the Pitti. Consciously modeled on the passageway connecting the Vatican with Castel Sant'Angelo, it offered easy private access from the Palazzo Vecchio to the new grand-ducal residence. The original structure, built by Vasari in 1565 for Cosimo I, ran only as far as the Great Grotto; its continuation was built between October 1588 and May 1589. Following the outline set by existing structures, it passed over the northeast wall of the garden, turned southwards along the Piazza dei Pitti, and entered the palace with doorways into the mezzanine and into the Grand Duke's apartment.
Clearly Ferdinando's short but energetic phase of building was motivated to facilitate grand-ducal hospitality. Construction was timed to allow for the substantial completion of all projects by May 1589, the date of the nuptial celebration, thereby impressing his guests with the features of his recently refurbished residence. Prior to the construction of the New Kitchens (cucine nuove), the Pitti lacked adequate facilities for the preparation of grand banquets; the two kitchens that served the palace during the construction of Ammannati's additions were makeshift by comparison. Nor can the importance of the Corridoio be over-estimated. It now forged direct links with Santa Felicita, where Ferdinando often heard Mass, and with the Palazzo Vecchio and Buontalenti's recently completed (1586) Teatro Mediceo in the Uffizi. While Ferdinando's projects scarcely altered the Pitti’s overall form, they concluded the transformation of a rich merchant's residence into a grand palace.
A book called Guardaroba di palazzo, dated 1597, provides the first complete information about the organization of the palace under Ferdinando I. The grand duke and duchess occupied apartments on the piano nobile of the north wing during winter months, moving in the summer to cooler quarters on the ground floor. Giovanni de Medici, Ferdinando I’s half-brother and son of Cosimo I and Eleonora degli Abizi (from before his marriage to Eleonora of Toledo), lived permanently on the ground floor, while the rooms of Don Antonio, the son of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello (born while Francesco was still married to Joanna of Austria) were located on the second floor. Other princes and princesses, including the future grand duke Cosimo II, were also on the second floor, along with quarters and a loggia specifically reserved for Francesco’s daughter, Maria, who would later become Queen of France. On the same floor in the south wing was the salone delle Commedie, where Euridice by Ottavivo Rinnucccini, with music by Jacopo Peri, was performed for the first time in honor of the marriage between Maria and Henry IV of France in 1600. More spaces were organized on the piano nobile for important visitors. Other faithful members of the court also had apartments, among them Lorenzo Usinbardi, the Master of the Works, and Emilio de Cavalieri, a court musician.
The other projects were located at the northeast corner of the garden. The Great Grotto, whose construction was begun by Vasari in 1556 and resumed by Buontalenti in 1583, was finally completed during Ferdinando's reign (1587-1608). At the same time, the Corridoio was extended into the Pitti. Consciously modeled on the passageway connecting the Vatican with Castel Sant'Angelo, it offered easy private access from the Palazzo Vecchio to the new grand-ducal residence. The original structure, built by Vasari in 1565 for Cosimo I, ran only as far as the Great Grotto; its continuation was built between October 1588 and May 1589. Following the outline set by existing structures, it passed over the northeast wall of the garden, turned southwards along the Piazza dei Pitti, and entered the palace with doorways into the mezzanine and into the Grand Duke's apartment.
Clearly Ferdinando's short but energetic phase of building was motivated to facilitate grand-ducal hospitality. Construction was timed to allow for the substantial completion of all projects by May 1589, the date of the nuptial celebration, thereby impressing his guests with the features of his recently refurbished residence. Prior to the construction of the New Kitchens (cucine nuove), the Pitti lacked adequate facilities for the preparation of grand banquets; the two kitchens that served the palace during the construction of Ammannati's additions were makeshift by comparison. Nor can the importance of the Corridoio be over-estimated. It now forged direct links with Santa Felicita, where Ferdinando often heard Mass, and with the Palazzo Vecchio and Buontalenti's recently completed (1586) Teatro Mediceo in the Uffizi. While Ferdinando's projects scarcely altered the Pitti’s overall form, they concluded the transformation of a rich merchant's residence into a grand palace.
A book called Guardaroba di palazzo, dated 1597, provides the first complete information about the organization of the palace under Ferdinando I. The grand duke and duchess occupied apartments on the piano nobile of the north wing during winter months, moving in the summer to cooler quarters on the ground floor. Giovanni de Medici, Ferdinando I’s half-brother and son of Cosimo I and Eleonora degli Abizi (from before his marriage to Eleonora of Toledo), lived permanently on the ground floor, while the rooms of Don Antonio, the son of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello (born while Francesco was still married to Joanna of Austria) were located on the second floor. Other princes and princesses, including the future grand duke Cosimo II, were also on the second floor, along with quarters and a loggia specifically reserved for Francesco’s daughter, Maria, who would later become Queen of France. On the same floor in the south wing was the salone delle Commedie, where Euridice by Ottavivo Rinnucccini, with music by Jacopo Peri, was performed for the first time in honor of the marriage between Maria and Henry IV of France in 1600. More spaces were organized on the piano nobile for important visitors. Other faithful members of the court also had apartments, among them Lorenzo Usinbardi, the Master of the Works, and Emilio de Cavalieri, a court musician.
Marco Chiarini, ed., Palazzo Pitti: l'arte e la storia; Nardini Editore, Florence, 2000-2003.
See also:
Gianluca Belli, "Su alcuni documenti riguardanti il cantiere di palazzo Pitti durante i regni di Francesco e Ferdinando I de' Medici"; Bollettino della Accademia degli Euteleti della Città di San Miniato, vol. 85, 74, 2007, pp. 261-278.
See also:
Gianluca Belli, "Su alcuni documenti riguardanti il cantiere di palazzo Pitti durante i regni di Francesco e Ferdinando I de' Medici"; Bollettino della Accademia degli Euteleti della Città di San Miniato, vol. 85, 74, 2007, pp. 261-278.