Palazzo Nonfinito is a historic building in Florence, located
with the main front on via del Proconsolo 12, but with a notable
prospect also on Borgo degli Albizi 32, of which it determines the
corner called Canto de' Pazzi. The origin of the name lies in the
fact that many architects have started it and no one has ever
"finished" it. This denomination can be read for the first time in a
guide to Florence published in 1822 corrected by Bartolomeo Follini.
The building appears in the list drawn up in 1901 by the
Directorate General of Antiquities and Fine Arts, as a monumental
building to be considered a national artistic heritage.
What to See Inside: The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
The
palace now contains one of Europe's oldest and most significant
anthropology museums, founded in 1869 by physician and anthropologist
Paolo Mantegazza. It holds over 26,000 objects from cultures worldwide,
reflecting 19th- and early 20th-century collecting practices (including
items from Medici inventories and explorers).
Key highlights include:
Ethnographic collections from Africa, Asia (e.g., Japanese kimonos,
Indian artifacts collected by orientalist Angelo De Gubernatis), the
Americas (Inca mummies from Peru), and Oceania (skull trophies from New
Guinea).
Displays of clothing, weapons, ritual objects, and everyday
items illustrating human diversity and daily life.
Sections on human
evolution with fossils, skulls, paleoanthropological materials, and
reconstructions.
A notable collection of chalk masks and osteological
items.
The museum occupies various rooms across the palace,
allowing you to appreciate both the artifacts and the historic interiors
(including the interplay of finished and unfinished elements). Temporary
exhibitions sometimes complement the permanent displays. It's eclectic
and thought-provoking rather than flashy—ideal for a reflective visit.
Expect to spend 45–90 minutes, depending on your interest level. The
setting feels intimate compared to Florence's larger museums.
Practical Visiting Information (as of 2026)
Opening Hours: Tuesday to
Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Last tickets sold one hour before closing.
Closed on Mondays, January 1, Easter, May 1, August 15, and December 25.
Tickets:
Full price: €6
Reduced: €3 (ages 6–14, over 65,
certain school groups)
Family ticket (1–2 adults + up to 4 children):
€13
Combo ticket with the Botanical Garden (valid 3 months): €10 full
/ €5 reduced / €23 family
Free for children under 6, University of
Florence/Tuscany students (and certain other student categories like
Erasmus or Fine Arts Academy), disabled visitors + carer, ICOM/ANMS
members, registered guides/journalists, and school groups (with limits
on accompanying adults). It participates in the Firenze Card.
How
to Buy: Purchase on-site or online via the university's Vivaticket
portal (smaunifi.vivaticket.it). Online may include a small pre-sale
fee. No strict timed entry is usually required, but check for peak
periods.
Accessibility: The main entrance is at street level. An
elevator serves some upper floors, but confirm specifics for mobility
needs in advance. Restrooms and a small cloakroom are available (large
bags should be checked).
In-Depth Visiting Tips
Best Time to
Visit: Weekday mornings (right after opening) or late afternoons for the
quietest experience and better light in the courtyard. Avoid Mondays
(closed) and the first Sunday of the month if free entry applies (it can
draw crowds). Summer afternoons can feel warm indoors, so early visits
help. As a lesser-visited site, crowds are rarely an issue compared to
major attractions.
Duration and Pace: Allocate 1–1.5 hours. Start
with the courtyard and architectural features, then move through the
ethnographic rooms thematically (e.g., by continent or topic like
rituals vs. daily life). The collections reward slow looking—many items
tell stories of cross-cultural exchange.
Guided Tours: Available in
Italian and sometimes English; inquire at the entrance or contact the
museum in advance for groups or special requests. Self-guided
exploration works well, but a tour adds context on both the palace's
history and the artifacts' origins.
Photography: Generally allowed
without flash or tripods. Respect any "no photo" signs on sensitive
items (e.g., human remains).
What to Bring/Wear: Comfortable shoes
for standing and light walking on potentially uneven historic floors. In
summer, dress lightly and bring water (refillable bottles are useful in
Florence). No strict dress code.
Combining with Nearby Sights: The
location is excellent—about a 5-minute walk from the Duomo (Cathedral
complex) and 10 minutes from Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, the
Bargello Museum, and the Uffizi. You can easily pair it with a morning
at the Duomo followed by this museum, or use it as a break from heavier
art-focused sites. It's also near Via del Corso for casual strolling.
Getting There: Walk from most central areas (15 minutes from Santa Maria
Novella train station). Multiple bus lines stop nearby. The historic
center is largely pedestrianized/ZTL-restricted, so avoid driving.
For Families/Groups: The family ticket offers good value. Children may
enjoy the colorful artifacts and mummies, but some sections (e.g.,
skulls) could be intense—supervise accordingly. School groups should
book ahead.
Other Tips: Check the official university site
(sma.unifi.it) or contact them (+39 055 275 6444 or similar) for any
temporary changes, exhibitions, or events. If you're a researcher or
student, the museum supports academic access. Watch for belongings in
busy Florence, though this spot feels low-risk.
Origins and Land Acquisition (Late 16th Century)
The palace rose
on a site rich in Florentine history. In November 1592, Alessandro
Strozzi—a member of the powerful Strozzi family, long-time rivals and
occasional allies of the Medici—purchased houses, towers, and adjacent
properties from Camillo de' Pazzi (father of the sainted mystic Maria
Maddalena de' Pazzi). Additional parcels came from the Niccolini and
Perini families. The plot sat near the Renaissance Palazzo Pazzi,
separated only by a narrow alley, symbolizing the Strozzi's desire to
assert their status among Florence's elite civic families.
Construction proper began in July 1593 after the demolition of a popular
local speziale (apothecary/spice shop), an event commemorated in an
inscription on the tribune facing Borgo degli Albizi. Alessandro
initially funded the project, but financial difficulties soon forced him
to sell half the complex to his brother Roberto Strozzi in 1596 and the
remainder in 1597. Roberto, often away on business in Venice, left
day-to-day oversight to Alessandro (while exempting him from costs), and
a third brother, Bernardo, supplied high-quality stone from his quarry
at Le Campora near Marignolle.
Construction Phases and
Architectural Evolution (1593–1613)
The project unfolded in distinct
phases under multiple architects, each contributing to its Mannerist
character—characterized by inventive, sometimes grotesque ornamentation
influenced by Michelangelo and the late Renaissance.
1593–1600:
Bernardo Buontalenti and Matteo Nigetti
Leading architect Bernardo
Buontalenti (with his pupil Matteo Nigetti) designed and executed the
ground floor. This phase produced the palace's most distinctive
features: rusticated walls with flat bugnato (bosses), monumental corner
pilasters, and large "kneeling" windows resting on prominent corbels.
These windows, grated and topped with triangular or broken pediments,
feature zoomorphic (animal-like, often bat- or monster-headed)
cartouches and brackets—hallmarks of Buontalenti's fantastical style. A
side portal on Borgo degli Albizi and the heraldic Strozzi shield on the
main facade also date to this period.
1600: The Great Dispute and
Shift in Leadership
Tensions arose over the location of the main
entrance staircase. Buontalenti resigned when the Strozzi opted for a
design by Santi di Tito, who placed the grand staircase to the right of
the atrium (a three-ramp structure with barrel vaults and an original
stone balustrade with figural elements). This conflict prompted other
architects to withdraw temporarily.
1600–1612: Vincenzo Scamozzi,
Giovanni Battista Caccini, and Ludovico Cardi (Cigoli)
Venetian
architect Vincenzo Scamozzi was called in to provide overarching designs
(though he was often absent, working elsewhere in Italy and Salzburg).
Giovanni Battista Caccini directed execution, completing the tall arched
main entrance on Via del Proconsolo (with balcony and 1614 Strozzi coat
of arms sculpted by Caccini himself) and the first-floor level with
giant Ionic lesenes/pilasters. Sculptural elements, including female
figures supporting the upper shield at the corner, are also attributed
to him. Around 1604, Ludovico Cardi (known as Cigoli), another
Buontalenti associate, designed the elegant courtyard—a
Venetian-inspired loggia with serliana motifs on Tuscan columns,
Florentine detailing, and a niche housing a 16th-century Perseus Slaying
the Dragon by Giovanni Battista Lorenzi. After Caccini's death in 1612,
Nigetti briefly resumed oversight.
A 1607 dedicatory plaque above
the Borgo degli Albizi portal credits Grand Duke Ferdinando I de'
Medici's patronage, underscoring the project's high-level support at the
time. Plans called for two additional floors, fully finished interiors,
and a complete main facade, but work halted around 1613. The result is
an asymmetrical, "frozen" appearance—ground floor complete, upper
stories partial or absent.
Why It Remained Unfinished: Practical,
Political, and Legendary Explanations
Historians offer several
explanations. Early financial strain on Alessandro Strozzi played a
role, though Roberto had resources. More significantly, chronic disputes
among architects, shifting patronage, and possible political rivalries
(e.g., between the Strozzi, Salviati descendants of the Duke, and Medici
factions) may have led to judicial injunctions halting progress, as
suggested by 19th-century writer Luigi Biadi (though without surviving
archival proof). Multiple hands and egos simply prevented unified
completion.
A colorful local legend, recorded by folklorist Charles
Godfrey Leland in the late 19th century, ties the bat-like grotesque
masks on the windows to a supposed pact Roberto Strozzi made with the
devil. The demon allegedly cursed the building, ensuring it would never
be finished—a tale that adds romantic mystique to the "nonfinito"
moniker.
Later History, Ownership Changes, and Notable Uses
(17th–20th Centuries)
After the Strozzi era, the palace passed
through private and public hands:
1802: Sold to Giovanni Guasti.
1814: Acquired by the Tuscan government and adapted (by architect
Pasquale Poccianti) for state offices, including the Prefecture,
Foreigners' Office, and San Giovanni delegation. In 1864, writer Carlo
Collodi (author of Pinocchio) briefly worked there as a second-class
secretary.
1865–1871: During Florence's stint as capital of the newly
unified Kingdom of Italy, it served as the seat of the Consiglio di
Stato (Council of State). Extensive interior consolidations,
restorations, and frescoes (featuring Savoy coats of arms, Italian city
allegories, and figures) were added under engineer Nicola Nasi and
Francesco Mazzei.
Later 19th–Early 20th Century: Used by the Post and
Telegraphs office (1901–1911) and military offices (from 1917). It was
listed as national artistic heritage in 1901.
In 1919, the
University of Florence acquired it. By 1924 (inaugurated 1932), it
became the permanent home of the Museo Nazionale di Antropologia ed
Etnologia, founded in 1869 by anthropologist Paolo Mantegazza. The
museum's vast collections—Medici-era artifacts, Peruvian Inca mummies,
Japanese kimonos, New Guinea skull trophies, Indian items from Angelo De
Gubernatis, and more—are displayed geographically. A bust of Mantegazza
by Ettore Ximenes stands near the entrance, with memorials to later
curators Nello Puccioni and Aldobrandino Mochi in the courtyard. WWII
damage led to restorations (1938–1944 under Piero Sanpaolesi; further
works in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1972).
The first news of the building is found in the treatise The Idea of
Universal Architecture by Vincenzo Scamozzi, an architect from Vicenza
called, according to him, by Roberto Strozzi with the task of designing.
He fully claimed the authorship of the work; the affirmation could not
be denied by Buontalenti himself, because he had been dead for some
years, but it was by later historians who instead highlighted the
alternation of several architects.
Around the middle of the
seventeenth century Gherardo Silvani in his Life of Bernardo Buontalenti
attributed the facade of Borgo degli Albizi to Buontalenti.
In
1724 Ferdinando Ruggeri in the Civil Architecture Studio provided the
first survey of the building and attributed the construction to several
architects, without however indicating the sources.
Filippo
Baldinucci, documenting the construction phases, provided the following
chronology, also taken up in 1910 by Walther Limburger:
from 1593 to
1600 the project by Bernardo Buontalenti was carried out, assisted by
Matteo Nigetti. The beginning of the works, the construction of the
ground floor, the portal of Borgo degli Albizi and the kneeling windows
are attributed to them.
In 1600, having come into conflict with the
Strozzis regarding the location of the main staircase, later built to
the right of the atrium by the architect Santi di Tito, Buontalenti
abandoned the construction site.
from 1600 to 1612 Vincenzo Scamozzi
was given the task of completing the design and Giovanni Battista
Caccini of directing the execution of the works. The very high entrance
on via del Proconsolo and the first floor decorated with giant order
Ionic pilasters are attributed to them. Furthermore, Caccini, better
known as a sculptor, was attributed the marble coat of arms of the
Strozzi placed at the top corner of the building. Scamozzi probably had
Buontalenti's drawings at his disposal, from which he took his cue but,
contrary to what he said, he found the factory already underway.
Furthermore, the chronological list of his works reports other important
construction sites in the Veneto and in Salzburg in the same period,
commitments that certainly limited his stay in the city and his presence
on the construction site. It is reasonable to assume that he only had
time to take stock of the work already done, provide a new project and
find an architect to carry it out.
around 1604 Lodovico Cardi known
as il Cigoli, a pupil of Buontalenti, built the courtyard.
From
1612 onwards, when Caccini died, Nigetti returned again to direct the
works.
In both Buontalenti's and Scamozzi's plans, the building included two
more floors, but in fact not even the interiors or the main façade were
completed, a fact that led to the current name of the building
"Nonfinito".
Other information, about the construction phases of
the interiors and the transfer of ownership, is contained in the text by
Luigi Biadi, Notizie sulle antica Fabbrica di Firenze unfinished. Even
in the absence of archival evidence, Biadi believed that the reason that
prevented the completion of the building was the traditionally narrated
rivalry between important families. He writes:
«Many disputes had
arisen between the family that descended from Duke Salviati, between
that of the Medici and Roberto Strozzi. The Salviatis demanded, leaving
aside questions not of interest to the purpose, that Roberto Strozzi did
not continue the construction of the palace; and they demanded it, or
perhaps because they were overcome by the fanatical prejudice that sadly
dominated most of the grandees in past centuries, that is, of not
allowing the new construction of a building either nearby, or almost
opposite, or with greater splendor than its own [ …] Strozzi, not
wanting to submit to such a harsh law, refusing to compromise on this
and the remaining disputes that had arisen, the Salviatis and the
Medicis appealed to the Giudiciara Power, making a request to inhibit in
the first place the continuation of the construction of the palace and
to decide on all the heads of the question against Strozzi himself. It
is said that the sentence was issued in any favorable relation to the
Salviatis and de' Medici. [...] useless wherever the search for the
aforementioned sentence remained..."
(Luigi Biadi)
Although a
large plaque from 1607, placed above the portal of Borgo degli Albizi in
memory of the munificence of Ferdinando I de' Medici, would suggest more
relaxed relations at least with the Medici, Biadi believed that the
impediment had been the true cause of the non-completion, without which
Roberto Strozzi could have easily completed the work with the
collaboration of Scamozzi, or Caccini, or Cigoli; Biadi does not mention
probable economic problems of the Strozzi family.
Changes of
ownership and intended uses
From the Strozzi family in 1802 the
property passed to Giovanni Guasti who in 1814 resold it to the Royal
Government of Tuscany; Pasquale Poccianti was called to adapt the
premises to accommodate the offices of the Royal Customs, the
departments of the Chamber of Community and the Super Mayor, and the
office of the Mendicità Deputation. In 1850 the Prefecture, the
Foreigners' Office and the Delegation of the San Giovanni district were
located there.
Passed from 1865 to the Kingdom of Italy, in the
period of Florence Capital (1865-1871) the palace was chosen as the seat
of the Council of State and involved in works of consolidation,
restoration and decoration of some rooms designed by the architect
Francesco Mazzei, with the direction of the construction site entrusted
to the engineer Nicola Nasi.
It was purchased and used by the
Post and Telegraphs from 1901 to 1911 (since the central post office
building in via Pellicceria had not yet been built); in 1917 it was
occupied by military offices after adequate works for the barracks.
Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
After being granted to the
University of Florence in 1919, the building was identified as the seat
of the National Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, founded by Paolo
Mantegazza, and moved here in 1924 and officially inaugurated in 1932.
The museum was subsequently enlarged by Aldobrandino Mochi, Nello
Puccioni and others, and today it houses artifacts of peoples from all
over the world, divided by geographical area.
Restorations
A
few years after the opening of the museum, the facade underwent major
restorations carried out between 1938 and 1944 directed by Piero
Sanpaolesi. It suffered some damage during the world war and was
restored in 1948. Other restorations were carried out in 1956, 1967,
1972.
The ground floor was built between 1593 and 1600 by Bernardo
Buontalenti, assisted by Matteo Nigetti. The exterior is characterized
by flat ashlars, monumental corner pillars and large kneeling windows.
These rest on large corbels, are closed by a grate and crowned by a
tympanum. Some tympanums are triangular, others are broken and crumpled,
and bear a zoomorphic figure inside that resembles a sinister-looking
bat. At the end of the 19th century, these figures inspired a legend
written by Charles Godfrey Leland, according to which Roberto Strozzi
would have made a pact with the devil, who, cursing the building, would
have prevented its completion forever.
Via del Proconsolo
Six
kneeling windows are arranged on the ground floor symmetrically with
respect to the large and high arched door attributed to Caccini. The
door is surmounted by a balcony and the Strozzi coat of arms, with the
date 1614. Another very ornate marble coat of arms is clearly visible
near the corner at the top, with two female figures holding up the
shield with the family coat of arms ; this sculpture can be traced back
to Caccini.
Borgo degli Albizi
Although considered secondary
to that of via del Proconsolo, the building has a complete front in
every detail on Borgo degli Albizi; Ferdinando Ruggieri dedicated most
of the surveys he carried out to this portion, reiterating the
authorship of the first floor to Bernardo Buontalenti, that of the
second to Vincenzo Scamozzi.
The four large kneeling windows on
the ground floor are arranged with respect to a central axis marked by a
large door, crowned at the top by a small rectangular window and above
by the Strozzi coat of arms held by a winged lion. Above is a balustrade
beyond which opens a large window closed by an arch resting on coupled
columns, surmounted by figured capitals and a dedication inscription.
On the left is a small aedicule, inserted in the ashlar, which once
housed a Crucifixion which unfortunately disappeared.
On the
ground floor, masked by a fake ashlar, a small secret door is barely
visible which corresponds to the civic number 30, used as a secondary
passage by informants on their way to the offices of the Royal Customs.
The courtyard is characterized by Venetian influences perhaps
inspired by Scamozzi, reinterpreted with typically Florentine elements.
It has a loggia on the ground floor decorated with serliana motifs on
Tuscan columns; two of the four sides made square in 1604 can be traced
back to Lodovico Cardi known as Cigoli. The other two are the result of
the completion in style implemented by the engineer Nasi in 1865-1866.
In a niche, prospectively created in front of the main entrance, there
is a sixteenth-century statue, Perseus killing the dragon, by the
sculptor Giovanni Battista Lorenzi. In the loggia on the right there is
a bust of Paolo Mantegazza, founder of the Museum of Anthropology,
created by Ettore Ximenes, the marble memory of Nello Puccioni and the
medallion in memory of Aldobrandino Mochi; both enriched the museum's
collections with their donations.
The staircase, the cause of the
conflicts between Buontalenti and the Strozzi, develops to the right of
the atrium and occupies a considerable space; it is covered by barrel
vaults and winds at an elbow angle with three ramps.
On the
ground floor there is a very large, rectangular hall covered by a
pavilion vault, with three doors that access two other rooms.
On the ground floor some rooms of Buontalenti's project remain: in
particular a corner room in which there are some elaborate corbels with
the Strozzian emblems of the falcon plucking its feathers and the lamb.
In another room there is a seventeenth-century painting on the vault
with the representation of the company dwarf of the Cospi family.
The staircase is distinguished by the original design of the
handrails, supported by rows of stone balustrade shapes. On the main
floor, in the rooms of the museum, there are some frescoed ceilings from
the time of Florence as the capital, with the coats of arms of Savoy and
the Italian cities, and allegorical figures.