This is the first book published in forty years featuring the painted fa ades of Florentine palaces. A topic of enormous interest since Florence is one of the most visited and admired cities in the world. The Painted Facades of Florence XV to XIX Centuries is the result of thorough research revealing that the historical circumstances that lead local families to decorate the fa ades of their residences, as well as providing a description of the various decorative techniques. Lavishly illustrated in colour, this volume includes a significant amount of previously unpublished photographic archival material. Most of the new photographs were especially commissioned. An important book not only for architects, art historians and decorative arts specialists, but for all those who have visited and loved Florence.