Palazzo Dragomanni is among the few left standing in via de’ Guicciardini after the destruction of the Second World War, together with Palazzo Guicciardini with which it borders towards Palazzo Pitti. It seems that at the end of the war the two buildings were not destroyed for fear that their collapse could damage the Vasari Corridor that passes very close to them, thus allowing us to admire them even today.

Palazzo Dragomanni is located on the path that the Medici once walked several times a day to go from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti. To cover this section, the Medici used the Vasari Corridor, which starting from the Uffizi crosses Ponte Vecchio and then remains on the left side of via de’ Guicciardini and crosses the two gardens of Palazzo Dragomanni; the Corridor then continues towards Palazzo Guicciardini to finish at Palazzo Pitti.
Palazzo Dragomanni is located in the middle of via de’ Guicciardini, between Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti.

The Palace, more precisely the “Salvatori ex Dragomanni” complex, dates back to the sixteenth century, as evidenced by the facade on via de’ Guicciardini, the rear facade facing the second garden, the internal cloister with the colonnade and other elements inside the Palace and in the second garden.

Later, at the end of the seventeenth century, the palace was restored and enlarged by the architect Antonio Ferri (1651-1716) “in this time of September 1698 the palace of Mr. Filippo di Giuliano Franceschi, a Florentine gentleman, was seen finished. It’s located in via de’ Guicciardini, he has restored and increased it” (see Antiquario Fiorentino n. 2118, Florence 1765).

Of this intervention remains the grand staircase and probably some frescoes in the monumental apartment on the first floor as well as other frescoes in the halls on the ground floor.

In addition to the grand staircase, of particular interest and value, should be emphasized the frescoes in the hall that overlooking via de’ Guicciardini in the monumental apartment on the first floor and the chapel, which is also entirely frescoed; of particular interest are the frescoes representing the myth of Diana placed in one of the rear halls on the ground floor.

Subsequently, the Palazzo underwent a series of internal alterations which in any case did not distort or significantly alter its whole.

Has been mentioned The “Salvadori ex Dragomanni” complex since, in addition to the main body constituted by the actual Palace, there are two distinct gardens on the back crossed by the Vasari Corridor and the rooms below it which are part of the Palace.

The two gardens:
The first is accessed through the driveway entrance hall in via de’ Guicciardini 11.
The second is accessed through the entrance of street number 13 or through an internal passage from the first garden; probably, in previous times, it could also be accessed from French windows placed in the frescoed halls on the ground floor. This garden borders the garden of Palazzo Guicciardini.

On the side of the two gardens opposite the Palace we have a series of rooms adjacent to each other in the shape of a corridor that wind up to the border with Palazzo Guicciardini: these rooms form the basis of the well-known superior Vasari Corridor; among them the last ones should be highlighted, placed in the second garden, with arches and rose windows on the facade, whose interior architectural details, niches and naturalistic decorations on the ceilings, are particularly elegant.

In some of these rooms located under the Vasari Corridor two apartments have been obtained, which overlooks the first garden of the Palace.
These apartments, called Apartment One and Apartment Two are the only ones that can access the garden.

Little do we know of the Dragomanni who were probably the first owners of the Palazzo: this theory is supported by the fact that the only coat of arms that systematically returns, both in the frescoes in the hall on via de’ Guicciardini and in other decorations placed in the remaining monumental apartment, represents the red rampant dragon on a gold field shown in these pages.Little do we know of the Dragomanni who were probably the first owners of the Palazzo: this theory is supported by the fact that the only coat of arms that systematically returns, both in the frescoes in the hall on via de’ Guicciardini and in other decorations placed in the remaining monumental apartment, represents the red rampant dragon on a gold field shown in these pages.

The Dragomanni probably derive from a German baron named Rodolfo who came to Italy in 963. It is in any case documented that this feudal family already in 1040 owned the castles of Montecchio-Vespone, Policiano and Vitiano in the committee of Castiglione Aretino, near Arezzo (from 1384 called Castiglione Fiorentino). They have always been part of the aristocracy of Arezzo, expressing numerous Priors and Gonfalonieri. Its progenitor is considered a Messer Bonetto, living in the eleventh century. They had a knight of Santiago and, in addition to Rodolfo, also an apostolic protonotary count Alemanno and commensal of Clement VIII, knight of Santo Stefano. Gioia di Matteo commanded the militias of Florence and another Gioia was bishop of Monte Peloso and therefore of Pienza. The Dragomanni were related to the highest Tuscan nobility. Eugenio Gamurrini dwells at length on this family (Genealogical history of Tuscan noble families, et Umbre, vol. V, pp. 236-245, Florence, Navesi, 1671) which he defines as one of the most conspicuous in Tuscany. In addition to the Dragomanni Palace in via de’ Guicciardini in Florence, they owned numerous residences of which the Dragomanni Palace in Castiglione Fiorentino or the splendid Gothic Dragomanni chapel in the church of San Domenico in Arezzo, which was also illustrated by Vasari, still remain. The family died out in the 18th century in the Beroardi, another ancient Aretine family.