Crenellated medieval tower and fortress palace overlooking a statue-filled Florentine piazza at golden hour

Where Was Medici Filmed?

The Renaissance drama shot on location in Tuscany and Lazio, with Florence stand-ins like Pienza, Montepulciano, and Volterra.

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The Short Answer

The series was filmed mainly on location in Italy. Production used Florence itself, centered on the Duomo area, plus well-preserved Tuscan towns including Pienza, Montepulciano, and Volterra to double for 15th-century Florence. In Lazio, Bracciano Castle, Villa d'Este in Tivoli, and Villa Farnese in Caprarola stood in for Medici homes, Roman palaces, and Vatican settings.

The Medici series, which ran from 2016 to 2019, tells the story of the banking family that shaped 15th-century Florence. Rather than relying on sets, the production went to extraordinary lengths to shoot in real Renaissance buildings, scouting more than 300 locations in Tuscany alone across three seasons.

Modern Florence posed a problem: contemporary changes to the city center limited filming to areas near the Duomo and Baptistery. The solution was a cluster of smaller towns whose historic cores have survived largely intact, allowing Pienza, Montepulciano, and Volterra to pass for the Florentine streets of the Medici era.

Every Location At A Glance

LocationWhereWhat was filmedAccess
Palazzo VecchioFlorencePalazzo Vecchio and interiors representing Florentine government and Medici settingsTicketed
Bracciano Castle (Castello Orsini-Odescalchi)BraccianoCourtyards, staircases, and interiors doubling as Florentine streets, Medici home, Roman palace, and moreTicketed
Palazzo PiccolominiPienzaExterior and interiors as Palazzo Medici and Medici BankTicketed
Piazza GrandeMontepulcianoSquare as Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Comunale and Cathedral scenesFree to see
Palazzo dei PrioriVolterraCouncil chamber and exteriors representing Florentine Signoria and gatesTicketed
Villa d'EsteTivoliGardens and interiors as Medici villas and Vatican propertiesTicketed
Villa FarneseCaprarolaCourtyards, gardens, and terraces as Medici villa and Vatican sitesTicketed
Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and BaptisteryFlorenceExterior and interior shots including dome construction scenes and baptisteryTicketed

Filming Locations Map

8 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
Location 01

Palazzo Vecchio

Tuscany, Florence Ticketed

Filmed here: Palazzo Vecchio and interiors representing Florentine government and Medici settings

Palazzo Vecchio appears in Season 1, with its interiors used to represent Florentine government and Medici settings. Today it functions as a museum and remains one of the most visited sites in Florence, with ornate Renaissance rooms open to the public. Access is by ticket. Visitors can walk through the same halls that appeared on screen and see the palace's famous courtyards and chambers in person.

Bracciano Castle (Castello Orsini-Odescalchi), Bracciano
Location 02

Bracciano Castle (Castello Orsini-Odescalchi)

Lazio, Bracciano Ticketed

Filmed here: Courtyards, staircases, and interiors doubling as Florentine streets, Medici home, Roman palace, and more

This castle in Bracciano, Lazio, was the production's great utility player, appearing in all seasons. Its courtyards, staircases, and interiors doubled as Florentine streets, the Medici home entrance (fitted with an added coat of arms), a Roman palace, and more. The historic castle is open for tours, so visitors can explore the spaces that served so many distinct roles on screen. Tickets are required.

Palazzo Piccolomini, Pienza
Location 03

Palazzo Piccolomini

Tuscany, Pienza Ticketed

Filmed here: Exterior and interiors as Palazzo Medici and Medici Bank

Located in Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage town in southern Tuscany, Palazzo Piccolomini stood in for Palazzo Medici and the Medici Bank across Seasons 1 through 3. The palace is now a museum open to visitors with a ticket. Its Renaissance architecture and formal setting made it a convincing stand-in for the Medici-Riccardi Palace exterior, while the nearby town hall played the bank.

Piazza Grande, Montepulciano
Location 04

Piazza Grande

Tuscany, Montepulciano Free to see

Filmed here: Square as Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Comunale and Cathedral scenes

Montepulciano's Piazza Grande served as Piazza della Signoria, with the Palazzo Comunale and cathedral scenes shot around the square in Seasons 1 through 3. It is a free public space at the heart of the town's historic center and easily accessible on foot. Visitors can stand in the middle of the square and recognize the layout used for some of the series' most important civic scenes.

Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra
Location 05

Palazzo dei Priori

Tuscany, Volterra Ticketed

Filmed here: Council chamber and exteriors representing Florentine Signoria and gates

Volterra's Palazzo dei Priori, the oldest civic building in Tuscany, hosted Florentine Signoria assembly scenes, with its council chamber and exteriors representing Florentine government buildings and gates. Parts of the historic town hall have public access, though some areas require a ticket. The surrounding Etruscan town adds another layer of history for visitors exploring the filming locations.

Villa d'Este, Tivoli
Location 06

Villa d'Este

Lazio, Tivoli Ticketed

Filmed here: Gardens and interiors as Medici villas and Vatican properties

The gardens and interiors of Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, appear in Seasons 2 and 3 as Medici villas and Vatican properties. The UNESCO Renaissance villa, famous for its terraced gardens and fountains, is open daily with paid entry. It makes a straightforward day trip from Rome and pairs film history with one of Italy's most celebrated landscape designs.

Villa Farnese, Caprarola
Location 07

Villa Farnese

Lazio, Caprarola Ticketed

Filmed here: Courtyards, gardens, and terraces as Medici villa and Vatican sites

Villa Farnese in Caprarola, Lazio, appears in all seasons, with its courtyards, gardens, and terraces used as a Medici villa and Vatican sites. The Renaissance palace and its gardens are open to the public for tours, with a ticket required for entry. Its pentagonal plan and grand staircase made it a flexible backdrop for both domestic and papal scenes in the series.

Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Baptistery, Florence
Location 08

Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Baptistery

Tuscany, Florence Ticketed

Filmed here: Exterior and interior shots including dome construction scenes and baptistery

Season 1 used the Duomo and Baptistery for exterior and interior shots, including scenes of the dome's construction. The cathedral itself is free to enter, while the dome climb and baptistery require tickets. Because much of central Florence has changed since the Renaissance, filming concentrated here, making this cluster of buildings the most authentically Florentine filming area in the show.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The series is set in 15th-century Florence and Renaissance Italy, with some Roman scenes. It was filmed primarily on location in Tuscany, in Florence itself plus proxy towns, and in Lazio, using genuine historic buildings augmented with CGI. The result is a rare case where most exterior locations viewers see are real period structures rather than studio sets.

The Studio Side

Interior scenes were shot at Lux Vide studios in Rome, which served as the production's home base. The studios are not open to the public, so visiting them is not an option for travelers. Everything else on this page, however, can be visited.

Tours That Visit These Locations

For travelers who want to connect the show to the real Florence, a guided walk focused on the Medici family covers the main sights from the series.

Semi-Private Medici Walk, 2 Hours

Florence: 2 hours Medici family semi-private Tour

A two-hour semi-private walking tour of Florence that includes Palazzo Medici Riccardi and other key Medici sights featured in the TV series, with 24 reviews from past participants.

24 reviews

PriceLive on listingCheck availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Medici filmed in Florence?

Partly. Season 1 filmed at Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo and Baptistery complex, but modern changes to central Florence limited shooting largely to that area. Most Florentine street scenes were actually filmed in smaller towns such as Pienza, Montepulciano, and Volterra.

Why did producers use towns instead of Florence?

Many parts of central Florence have been altered by modern life, which made authentic Renaissance backdrops hard to find. Well-preserved historic towns in Tuscany offered the period look the production needed, so they stood in for 15th-century Florence.

Can you visit Bracciano Castle?

Yes. Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano is open for tours with a ticket. It appears in all three seasons and served as Florentine streets, the Medici home entrance, and Roman palaces, making it one of the most rewarding single sites for fans.

Which villa locations can you visit from Rome?

Villa d'Este in Tivoli and Villa Farnese in Caprarola are both in Lazio and reachable on a day trip from Rome. Both are ticketed sites with gardens and interiors open to the public. Villa d'Este is open daily.

How many locations were used?

The production scouted and used more than 300 locations in Tuscany alone across the three seasons, in addition to sites in Lazio and studio work at Lux Vide in Rome.

Is Piazza Grande in Montepulciano free to visit?

Yes. Piazza Grande is a free public square in the historic center of Montepulciano, easily accessible on foot. It stood in for Piazza della Signoria in Seasons 1 through 3.

Fans of the series can build an itinerary that splits neatly in two: Florence and the Tuscan proxy towns for the Medici heart of the story, and Lazio for the villas and palaces of the later seasons. Start with the Duomo area in Florence, then head south to Pienza, Montepulciano, and Volterra before finishing with Bracciano, Tivoli, and Caprarola.

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