In the historic center of Florence, literally two steps from Piazza del Duomo, stunning 420-sqm apartment on the piano nobile of a historic palazzo owned in the 16th century by the famous Florentine architect Bernardo Buontalenti.
The apartment is nowadays a luxury manorial dwelling split into two separate cadastral units, each accessed via its own entrance along the road. A beautifully frescoed hall at the center of the apartment was in the past the library of the palazzo. This is the only property on the road to feature two balconies overlooking the cathedral and its dome.
The historic center of Florence, with its boutiques and shops, offers all the necessary services, easily reached even on foot. Other cities of Tuscany (San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Greve in Chianti, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Siena, Lucca, Pisa…) can all be reached in less than two hours by car.
Florence’s airport (10km; 20’) is the closest one, but the terminals in Bologna, Pisa, Rome and Milan are very convenient as well.


DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY
The apartment (420 sqm – 4,520 sqft, 4 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms) is located on the piano nobile of Palazzo Buontalenti and can be reached both via a staircase and an elevator. The property, laid around three internal courtyards, is split into two separate cadastral units that have been connected to create one, elegant private dwelling. It is very easy to restore the independence of the two units, taking into account that they have independent entrances doors along the road.
- South wing: entry, reception hall (formerly the library of the palazzo) with dining area and windows overlooking the first internal courtyard, kitchen connected to a second hall overlooking (with two windows) Via dei Servi, wardrobe and laundry, guest bathroom and two bedrooms with en-suite bathroom. One of the bedrooms exit onto balcony over the road offering a stunning view of the Cathedral, while the other overlooks the second internal courtyard that offers quiet and privacy.
- North wing: monumental frescoed entry, habitable kitchen overlooking the third internal courtyard, hallway, ample living room featuring a beautifully frescoed ceiling with dining area, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and toilette, bedroom and bathroom. Right in front of the kitchen, a staircase descends to a mezzanine level with a service bathroom and technical room. The frescoed entry also leads onto a balcony over the internal courtyard. A second balcony, this one overlooking the Cathedral, is reached via a second living area (also frescoed) right next to the bedroom.

The apartment also has an exclusive cellar (20 sqm – 215 sqft) located on the ground floor of the building, which is very useful as a storage room or shed for a bicycle.

This property is a unique investment opportunity from a business point of view: the building is located in a privileged position in one of the most beautiful areas of Florence, which guarantees security and comfort. Furthermore, the division into two separate units with two independent entrances offers great privacy to guests.


STATE AND FINISHES
The apartment is located at the noble floor of one of the houses that belonged in the past to the architect Bernardo Buontalenti (1531 – 1608) who, however, never lived in this property himself since he used to live near Palazzo Pitti where he worked as a set designer for the Medici family. The current look of the building can be traced to a restoration of the early 18th century based on a project by Pietro Paolo Giovannozzi (1658 – 1734), architect and engineer working for the Capitani di Parte Guelfa.
The building is still based on a late-Renaissance template, but one can easily see the reworked features added in the 18th century. The ground floor features two huge entrance doorways with an ashlar frame and six more openings currently occupied by boutiques and shops. On the piano nobile there are several other windows, all framed in stone, and two balconies. Moving up, the uppermost floors feature the same type of windows but they become simpler and simpler the further they are from the ground.

Inside, the apartment was recently restored and the beautiful finishes have been highlighted. The former library of the palazzo (nowadays a stunning reception hall), in particular, boasts frescoed walls that closely resemble the interiors of a classical building with columns, half-columns, bass-reliefs and vaulted ceilings with painted coffered ceilings. The door frames, the only really tridimensional element, harmonically merge with the nearby faux architectures. The salon is one of the jewels of the apartment and represents a unique historical and artistic testimony. The presence of a monumental frescoed gallery, which leads to exclusive rooms doubling as reception rooms, lends the property additional artistic and cultural value.
The floorings of the apartment are covered in solid wood parquet, both in the living and sleeping area. The other rooms feature painted vaulted ceilings, decorated wooden beams, coffers painted with floral motives and wooden decorations. Moldings running throughout the halls also double as supports for a led lighting system. The air conditioning system covers the whole apartment, as well as a very effective Wi-Fi network.
Doors have been specifically crafted by Tuscan artisans respecting the style of the apartment and have been fully hand-painted. Windows are all equipped with double-glazing, so that thermal dispersion is reduced to a minimum, and grant excellent acoustic insulation.
A small antenna has been also installed on the roof of the building to improve phone reception inside the apartment.


WHAT TO SEE IN FLORENCE
The apartment, thanks to its central position in the heart of Florence along Via dei Servi, allows reaching many of the most interesting landmarks in the city on foot. Ranked by distance these are Piazza del Duomo with its incredible cathedral (150 m; 2’), Palazzo Medici (300 m; 4’) and the adjacent Basilica di San Lorenzo decorated by Michelangelo and Brunelleschi (380m; 4’), Piazza della Signoria (750 m; 10’), the church of Santa Croce with the tombs of many Italian artists (850 m; 10’), the church of Santa Maria Novella (900 m; 10’) next to the central station, the beautiful and unique Ponte Vecchio (1.0 km; 12’), the Uffizi Gallery (1.0 km; 13’), the imposing Medicean Fortezza da Basso (1.2 km; 12’), the impressive Palazzo Pitti (1.4 km; 15’), the church of Santo Spirito in Oltrarno (1.5 km; 15’) and finally the unique and wonderful panoramic terrace of Piazzale Michelangelo (2.2 km; 20’).

What’s more, the many shops and boutiques in the historic center of Florence can be easily reached in a few minutes’ walk.


CLOSEST CITIES AND TOWNS
Closest services (50m; 1’), San Casciano in Val di Pesa (28km; 40’), Greve in Chianti (37km; 50’), Colle di Val d’Elsa (54km; 55’), San Gimignano (60km; 1h 5’), Monteriggioni (62km; 1h), Siena (78km; 1h 10’), Lucca (80km; 1h 15’), Volterra (81km; 1h 25’), Pisa (99km; 1h 40’), Montepulciano (109km; 1h 30’), Pienza (116km; 1h 45’)


CLOSEST AIRPORTS
Firenze A. Vespucci (10km; 20’), Bologna G. Marconi (105km; 1h 45’), Pisa G. Galilei (107km; 1h 35’), Perugia San Francesco (160km; 2h), Roma Ciampino (287km; 3h 10’), Milano Linate (301km; 3h 30’), Roma Fiumicino (302km; 3h 15’), Milano Malpensa (355km; 4h)