Palazzo della Missione, Renaissance palace in Oltrarno district, Florence, Italy
Palazzo della Missione is a Renaissance palace in Florence's Oltrarno district, standing at Piazza de' Frescobaldi where Lungarno Guicciardini meets Via Maggio. The building occupies a key position near the entrance to Ponte Santa Trinita and currently serves as a school facility.
The palace replaced the earlier Frescobaldi Palace, which once controlled the Santa Trinita bridge and hosted notable visitors such as Charles of Valois. Following its reconstruction by Bernardino Radi, the building served important governmental purposes when Florence became Italy's temporary capital.
The facade displays decorative busts of Medici grand dukes that architect Bernardino Radi designed. These sculptures mark the building's connection to Florence's ruling family and serve as ornamental features that visitors can observe from the street.
The building is not open to the public since it serves as a school extension with international language and science programs. Visitors can appreciate the Renaissance facade and its decorative elements from street level along the piazza and riverside paths.
From 1865 to 1871, the building housed the Italian Ministry of the Navy during the years when Florence briefly served as the nation's capital. This marks a short but significant period when the city became the administrative center of the newly unified country.
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