Palazzo Strozzi is one of the symbols of Renaissance architecture in Italy and not to be missed by anyone who visits Florence. Begun in 1489, it remained in the Strozzi family up until 1937 when it was acquired by the National Institute of Insurance. In 1999 it was given to the Italian state, which then granted it to the city of Florence.
Ever since World War II, Palazzo Strozzi has been considered one of the most important venues for large temporary exhibitions.
From October 24, 2008 to February 8, 2009, Palazzo Strozzi is the site of an exhibition titled Catherine and Maria de'Medici: Women in Power. Florence celebrates the myth of two Queens of France. The focus of the exhibit is on the power of images and how they were used by these two rulers in order to legitimize their role as regents after the death of their respective husbands.
The exhibit is divided into seven rooms. It includes a precious series of tapestries, an important form of artistic expression during the Middle Ages that testified to the wealth, power, and status of the owner. Other parts of the exhibit permit the visitor to enter the world of these two Medici queens of France and to explore in detail the fascinating and dramatic life of the legendary Queen Artemisia. Paintings and precious masterpieces are meant to cast light on the figures of the two queens. Their passion for collecting is emphasized through a careful selection of objects.
For these two unusual personalities Moleskine has produced something equally special: a large-size notebook with a kraft-paper cover on which is printed a reproduction of a letter written by Maria Medici to her sister. The notebook is among the materials used by the museum to enrich visits by families (http://www.donnealpoterefirenze.it/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=131), and is available for sale in the bookshop in packages of two copies each.
For further info: http://www.palazzostrozzi.org
