The National Museum of the Palazzo Reale is housed in the 16th-century palazzo of the same name, designed by Buontalenti and for centuries home to the reigning families of the Medici, Lorena and Savoia. The palace was renovated in 2001, when spaces and connections with the adjoining buildings were restored.

Originally meant to preserve artifacts and customs of the Pisan court, the building retains the appearance of a patrician residence containing 17th- to 19th-century furnishings as well as numerous testaments to the families that once resided there: paintings, portraits, tapestries, armour. The Flemish and Florentine tapestries belonging to the Medici are particularly interesting, as is the old armour of the Gioco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), dating from the 15th and 17th centuries. The valuable predella panel from the polyptych of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, painted by the young Raphael in 1500, deserves special mention.

Opening hours
• Monday to Friday from 9am to 2.30pm; Saturday from 9am to 1.30pm.
• Closed Tuesdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Access to the museum is allowed until 30 minutes before closing time.

Admission
• € 5.00
• Concessions (18-25 years old and teachers) € 2.50
• Free for university students (Arts specialising in archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Architecture, upon student book presentation), under 18 and over 65-year-old EU citizens.

Combined ticket with the San Matteo National Museum
• € 8.00

Directions from Pisa Centrale station
Services 2, 4, 13. – Pacinotti 1 bus stop
LAM Verde Pratale direction - Pacinotti 1 Bus stop