Nineteenth-century view of Palazzo Pitti in Florence
Cradle of civilization and an open-air masterpiece, Florence it became, between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the most important city in Europe.
The culture gave it an unparalleled prestige and art that it was able to favor and express, but also engineering , of which there are still testimonies of incalculable value.
The dome created by Filippo Brunelleschi , the one that dominates Santa Maria del Fiore, is probably the best known example, while little known, even if of a completely different nature and certainly not comparable to it, is the cooling system with which Palazzo was equipped Pitti to find relief during the summer, a real stroke of genius for the time.
A Medici residence since 1550, in 1560 Palazzo Pitti underwent expansion and restoration works which also involved the creation, inside its large rooms, of a sort of " air conditioning ” ante litteram, which had to significantly improve the quality of life of its tenants.
This was how it worked:through some grates placed on the floors and windows overlooking the magnificent Boboli Gardens , naturally flows of fresh air were created which, from the basements, reached the upper floors, managing to lower the temperature up to 10 ° C.