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Palazzo Madama




The palazzo takes its name from Madama Margherita Of Austria , illegitimate daughter of Emperor Charles V , who married another illegitimate son, Alessandro De' Medici and, after his death, Ottavio Farnese . Thus part of the art collection of the Florentine Medici family was inherited by the Farnese family.
The facade was built in the mid 1650s by both Cigoli and Paolo Maruccelli . The latter added the ornate cornice and whimsical decorative urns on the roof.
Since 1871, the palazzo has been the seat of the upper house of the Italian parliament