Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Reale (National Museum of the Royal Palace), Pisa

There is much more to Pisa than its Leaning Tower, and it would be a shame if you missed a visit to the National Museum of the Royal Palace, although it might be a good idea to check up on opening times first. This little visited museum is housed in an elegant building designed in the 16th century by Buontalenti. It stands on the banks of the River Arno and was once lived in by illustrious families: the Medici’s, the Lorena’s and the Savoia’s all left their mark on this lovely palace. Today the building is mostly administrative offices, but 20 rooms have been kept for the museum. These rooms are full of furnishings and the private collections of the families who once lived here. There is also armor once used in the Gioco del Ponte (the Bridge Game).

The items date from the 17th to the 19th centuries and include manuscripts, portraits and paintings and the Flemish and Florentine tapestries that belonged to the Medici’s. You will also be able to admire a predella panel from the polyptych of Saint Nicolas of Tolentino. A predella was the painting along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece, usually depicting scenes from the life of the subject in the main panel. The predella in the museum was executed in 1500 by Raphael. There is a wonderful display of Galileo’s greatest discoveries in the fields of mathematics, physics and astronomy in the National Museum of the Royal Palace.