The Palazzo Davanzati, an ancient 14th-century residence of the Davizzi family, merchants and bankers, overlooks its imposing facade on the square of the same name, once populated by ancient tower-houses.

The Palace was built around the mid-14th century through the merging of several tower-houses and other properties of the Davizzi family. However, it was named after another family, the Davanzatis, who acquired it in 1578 and enriched its facade with a large coat of arms representing their lineage. They inhabited it until 1838, the year of the tragic death of the last heir, Carlo.

The Palace, purchased in 1904 by the renowned antiquarian Elia Volpi, who inaugurated it as the Museum of the Ancient Florentine House, an example of the taste for “fiorentinità” sought after by Italians and foreigners alike, experienced the first half of the last century amidst sales, purchases, and bankruptcies of antique dealers, until its acquisition by the Italian State, which opened it as a public museum.