About This Location
Palazzo Dudley sits on a sharp corner between Via della Vigna Nuova and Via della Spada, right by the luxury stretch of Via de’ Tornabuoni. It is easy to miss as “just another elegant façade” until the details start to stand out. The building is also known as Palazzo del Duca di Nortumbria. Italian heritage records link the original project to Bartolomeo Ammannati, and later changes to Adolfo Coppedè, who reshaped parts of the palace in the early 1900s. Its nickname comes from Robert Dudley, an English exile who lived in Florence and became a respected naval expert connected with the Medici court. On the corner, look for a commemorative plaque that mentions Dudley and his later biographer John Temple Leader - a small street-level clue to the building’s story. Standing here, the “nearby view” is mostly the fashion-district atmosphere: long, refined street lines, historic palazzi, and shop windows along Via della Vigna Nuova and Via de’ Tornabuoni. It feels like a calm, polished corridor connecting the river area with the city center.