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The Archaeological Itinerary

The underground section of Palazzo Medici Riccardi was the object of an accurate excavation campaign, the remains retrieved were arranged in an evocative setup, and the exhibit was opened to the public in the spring of 2019, revealing the site’s fascinating millennial history. Visitors can see a portion of the original bed of the Mugnone stream (an affluent of the Arno River), alongside the remains of an ancient burial place and portions of walls, flooring, wells, staircases, and water tanks that testify to the purposes of these spaces over the centuries. In the early period of the Medici rule, these premises housed the stables; later on, they were used mainly as cellars and service rooms and underwent continuous maintenance and refurbishment work. Parts of the nineteenth-century ovens and heating pipes are also still visible, and the display comprises a remarkable selection of the artefacts retrieved during the excavation campaigns. The archaeological findings are divided according to timeline and category, and date back as far as the ancient Roman period.

Underground level