This Renaissance style palace originally belonged to the Corbinelli family and is worth visiting if only to admire its unique black and white façade decorated by Bernardino Poccetti, including many dark and grotesque figures.

The palace is noteworthy as it was commissioned by Francesco I de’ Medici in 1570 for his then mistress Bianca Cappello who eventually became this wife. The palace was constructed to make it possible for the two lovers to meet in secret via an underground tunnel connecting her home to Palazzo Pitti.

After the two began meeting privately, each of their partners died under suspicious circumstances, Francesco I’s wife fell down the stairs in 1578 and Bianca’s husband was attacked and killed in the street. Soon after Francesco I and Bianca married; Bianca moved to Palazzo Pitti and Palazzo di Bianca Cappello was given to the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. During this time the façade was decorated with the current dark motifs by Bernardino Poccetti I mentioned above.

Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t last long and after a dinner at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano on 8th October 1987, the couple were suddenly taken ill and died a few hours apart from each other a week later. Many believe the deaths were orchestrated by Francesco’s brother Ferdinando through food poisoning as it was known that he didn’t agree with the marriage, but the exact reason for their demise remains a mystery to this day...

After their deaths Francesco I was buried in the basilica of San Lorenza but Ferdinando felt that Bianca didn’t warrant a burial fitting for a grand duchess so she received an anonymous burial and Ferdinando proceeded to erase all traces of her memory across the city with only the palazzo remaining.

Today the palace is owned privately and has been transformed into a luxury hotel!