In Florence, every street seems to lead to a masterpiece. But among all the places that speak of art and power, Palazzo Strozzi has something different. It’s not just a Renaissance residence, not just a museum. It’s a living organism, something that breathes and changes over time. Anyone visiting today finds a meeting point between past and present, where painting, installation and performance enter into a surprisingly natural dialogue.

To get in you need a ticket, and the experience starts right there. These days buying one is easy: you can do it directly at the ticket office overlooking Piazza degli Strozzi, or online in just a few minutes. Many visitors prefer the digital option, because it lets you choose the day and time of entry, avoiding queues and waiting around. Tiqets, for example, is one of the platforms most used by international tourists: it lets you receive your ticket by email or straight to your phone, with no need to print anything.

The price of admission varies depending on the exhibition. On average, a full ticket costs around fifteen euros, but it can go up slightly for major blockbuster shows. There are discounts for students, teachers, young people under twenty-six and holders of certain cultural cards. At certain times, those with the “Carta del Docente” or the “Carta del Merito” can get extra reductions. Small children go in for free, and families will always find offers tailored to them.

Once you’ve bought it, keep your ticket: not just to enter, but also because it gives you discounts at other museums and exhibitions partnered with the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. It’s a way of encouraging cultural tourism, creating a small art network that extends beyond the palace walls.

Those travelling in a group need to book in advance. Groups, including school groups, must indicate an exact day and time to avoid overcrowding. Individual visitors, on the other hand, are not required to book: you can also buy your ticket at the last minute, as long as capacity hasn’t been reached. However, in high season – especially spring and summer – it’s a good idea not to risk it and to secure your entry online.

Opening hours are generous: every day from ten in the morning to eight in the evening, with extended hours until eleven p.m. on Thursdays, the ideal night for those who like to visit in peace, away from the crowds. Last entry is usually about an hour before closing. It’s not a detail to overlook: Palazzo Strozzi is not a “touch and go” museum, but a place to experience slowly.

The experience begins already in the courtyard, which is free to access and often hosts contemporary art installations. At certain times of year it becomes a stage for events, readings or performances open to the public. It’s a suspended space, where the silence of stone meets the liveliness of voices echoing under the arches. Many locals pass through even just for a coffee or a quick chat, and perhaps this is the secret of its charm: being a place of culture but also of everyday life.

The temporary exhibitions occupy the piano nobile of the palace and are always curated with great care. At the moment, for example, the show dedicated to Beato Angelico brings together works from Italian and international museums, in a journey that restores the grace and visual power of the great Dominican master. The rooms, with light filtering through the sixteenth-century windows, amplify the magic of colours and golden halos. It’s not unusual to see visitors standing absorbed in front of a single painting for long minutes, as if time had stopped.

Inside, everything is designed to make the visit comfortable and accessible. There is a free cloakroom for bags and backpacks, open wi-fi, and a bookshop stocked with catalogues, art books and design objects. Visitors with reduced mobility can count on ramps, lifts and wheelchairs available to the public. Every space is conceived to be inclusive, and staff are trained to offer assistance and information in several languages.

A practical tip for those coming from out of town: it’s best to arrive at least twenty minutes early, so you have time to pick up any vouchers or simply get your bearings in the courtyard. Bringing an ID is useful, especially if you’re entitled to reduced fares. And if you plan to visit more than one exhibition on the same day, it’s worth checking current partnerships: tickets from Palazzo Strozzi often give you discounts at other Florentine museums.

When you leave, after walking through the rooms and the courtyard, you find yourself right back in the city centre, between Via de’ Tornabuoni and its elegant shop windows. And yet something lingers: the feeling of having touched a place that manages to be both ancient and modern at the same time. Palazzo Strozzi doesn’t live on nostalgia, but on constant transformation.

Visiting it, you understand why Florence is still one of the world capitals of art: not only for what it preserves, but for how it keeps reinventing it every day. In the end, that entrance ticket isn’t just a pass to an exhibition: it’s a key to the city’s creative heart, where beauty never stands still, but keeps moving – like the steps of those crossing the stone courtyard for the very first time.