The Medici House
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is still in Florence today but now it is commonly known as the Renaissance palace. It is the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence and is a museum.
The palace was built between the years 1444 and 1484. It was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo. It was meant to be a courthouse, but it took too long so the government bought a mansion and transformed it into a courthouse. Michelozzo di Bartolomeo continued to build the courthouse but it would not sell, and it stayed abandoned for 1 year. Fortunately, Lorenzo de Medici, head of the Medici banking family bought the place and turned it into his own palace and bank.
Unfortunately, many people did not want the de Medici family to buy the building, especially the neighbours because Lorenzo’s plan was to make the neighbours move out so he could have his own big space without any interfering from the neighbours and he succeeded.
Four years after they had bought the palace Lorenzo was nearly forced to give up the palace because he was accused of buying the palace with money that wasn’t his own. He was also accused of buying paintings, statues and musical instruments with money that wasn’t his. To keep the palace, he was forced to sell 10 of his paintings that are now priceless and 7 statues.