Palazzo Ramirez de Montalvo, Renaissance palazzo in Borgo degli Albizi, Florence, Italy.
Palazzo Ramirez de Montalvo is a Renaissance palazzo on Borgo degli Albizi in Florence with a heavily ornamented facade. The surface features graffito work designed by Giorgio Vasari, displaying decorative scenes that celebrate the Spanish courtier's standing and ties to the Medici rulers.
Antonio Ramirez de Montalvo, chief steward to Grand Duke Cosimo I, commissioned architect Bartolomeo Ammannati to merge several adjoining properties into this structure in 1568. The construction reflected a desire to showcase the rising influence of a Spanish family within the Florentine court through an impressive residence.
The main hall displays a wooden ceiling with coffered sections that echoes the design found in the Hall of the Five Hundred at Palazzo Vecchio. This decorative choice visually connects the spaces of two major Florentine palaces.
The building currently houses an auction house on its ground floor, while upper areas retain many original architectural features from the 16th century. Visitors should note that access varies depending on ongoing activities and not all spaces are publicly available for viewing.
In the 18th century, Baron Filippo De Stosch rented the palazzo while posing as an antiquities collector, though he was actually conducting espionage work for England. His hidden role only came to light after his death, revealing that the building had served as an unlikely center for covert diplomatic operations.
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