''Medici'' ( it, I Medici) is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and s ...

television series created by

Frank Spotnitz Frank Charles Spotnitz is an American television screenwriter and executive producer, best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and ''The Man in the High Castle''. Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Production ...

and

Nicholas Meyer Nicholas Meyer (born December 24, 1945) is an American writer and director, known for his best-selling novel ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution'', and for directing the films '' Time After Time'', two of the ''Star Trek'' feature films, the 1983 tele ...

. The series was produced by Italian companies Lux Vide and

Rai Fiction Rai Fiction is an Italian production company founded in 1997. It is owned and operated by ''Radiotelevisione Italiana'' (RAI), the national broadcasting company of Italy. The company produces content for RAI's channels. The company produces anim ...

, in collaboration with Frank Spotnitz's

Big Light Productions Frank Charles Spotnitz is an American television screenwriter and executive producer, best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and '' The Man in the High Castle''. Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Productio ...

. The series premiered in Italy on

Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and gene ...

on 18 October 2016. The series follows the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...

family, bankers of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, during

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. Each season follows the events of a particular moment of the family history exploring the political and artistic landscape of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The first season, titled ''Medici: Masters of Florence'', takes place in 1429, the year Giovanni de' Medici, head of the family, died. His son

Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth ...

succeeds him as head of the family bank, the richest bank of Europe at that time, and fights to preserve his power in Florence. The second season, titled ''Medici: The Magnificent'', takes place 35 years later and tells the story of Cosimo's grandson

Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...

(known as the Magnificent). A third, which completes the story of Lorenzo, premiered on Rai 1 in Italy on 2 December 2019. The series reached between four and eight million viewers on original airings. According to Italian ratings compiler Auditel, the broadcast of the first episode attracted a record 8.04 million viewers. The series is broadcast in 190 countries worldwide, including on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

in the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland and India, and on SBS in Australia.

Plot

Season 1

Florence, 1429. Giovanni de' Medici is a rich banker who also represents one of the most important political forces of Florence's

Signoria A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...

. He has a plan to increase his family's power by making an agreement with the Church of Rome. The election of a new Pope is about to take place and Giovanni sends his sons Cosimo and Lorenzo to Rome in order to encourage the election of a Pope close to his family. In Rome, Cosimo, fascinated by the beauty of ancient architecture and art, meets Donatello and one of his models Bianca. Cosimo falls in love with her but is then forced to leave her and marry Contessina de Bardi, a political marriage arranged by Giovanni and Contessina's father. The Medici's candidate gets elected, which assures the bank of the Medici of an unparalleled economic power. Twenty years later, Giovanni is mysteriously murdered and Cosimo and Lorenzo try secretly to investigate his death. Meanwhile, the political situation in the city is troubled by plots against the Medici family's power, and their vision of the future of Florence - which will then lead to the Renaissance - is in danger. Cosimo's dream is to complete the Duomo of Florence, but no architect seems to have a feasible solution due to the shape of the base created for the cathedral. Finally,

Filippo Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...

introduces himself to Cosimo and shows him plans for the dome. Cosimo decides to trust Brunelleschi and the construction of the cathedral starts, bringing jobs and people to Florence. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding the death of Giovanni thickens and Rinaldo Albizzi, Cosimo's main opponent in the Signoria, tries to block the construction and to incite the people to rise up against the Medicis.

Season 2

Twenty years have passed since the events of the first season.

Piero Piero is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Piero Angela (1928–2022), Italian television host *Piero Barucci (born 1933), Italian academic and politician * Piero del Pollaiuolo (c. 1443–1496), Italian painter * Piero ...

, Cosimo's son, and his wife Lucrezia are now at the head of the family. The power of the Medici has consolidated over time, but an assassination attempt on Piero brings to light his mismanagement of the family bank. The Sforza family are the largest debtors of the bank, but come to an agreement with Piero to erase it. The solution proposed by Sforza would also bring about the invasion of Florence. To prevent this, Piero's son Lorenzo takes over the role of his father both in the government of the Signoria and as head of the family. Although he has a relationship with a married woman, Lucrezia Donati, Lorenzo accepts marriage to a religious Roman noblewoman, Clarice Orsini (who initially wanted to be a nun but is obliged to give up her dream for the marriage). Their marriage goes through a turbulent time as their interests differ, but he soon falls in love with her and they start living happily. His brother

Giuliano People with the Italian given name or surname Giuliano () have included: In arts and entertainment Surname * Geoffrey Giuliano, American author * Maurizio Giuliano, writer and Guinness-record-holding traveler Given name * Giuliano Gemma, actor ...

and his dear friend

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...

, both meet and fall in love with Simonetta, although in different ways. Botticelli's interest is an artistic one and leads to the painting of Venus and Mars in which Simonetta is represented alongside Giuliano. The Pazzi family, led by Jacopo Pazzi and his nephew Francesco, join forces with the Pope to increase the Church's control of nearby territories and mines, in opposition to the Medici's policy. This argument will eventually lead to a conspiracy against Lorenzo in an attempt to put an end to his power and his dream of a peaceful and culturally alive Florence.

Season 3

This season starts immediately after the previous one. With his brother's death, Lorenzo has grown into a cruel determined man and vows revenge. He soon has three children with Clarice and a miscarried child as well that leads to Clarice's death, and they also raise Giulio (Giuliano's illegitimate son) after his father's death. Following the breakdown of the Pazzi conspiracy, Lorenzo must still face a military coalition from the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples, led by the ambitious

Girolamo Riario Girolamo Riario (1443 – 14 April 1488) was Lord of Imola (from 1473) and Forlì (from 1480). He served as Captain General of the Church under his uncle Pope Sixtus IV. He took part in the 1478 Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici, and was assas ...

. He undertakes a diplomatic journey to Naples and succeeds in negotiating a separate peace. Season 3 focuses on how Lorenzo would do anything, to any extent for his family and his legacy.

Episodes

Cast

Season 1: ''Masters of Florence''

Richard Madden Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000. He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he ...

: Head of the Medici family after his father's death *

Stuart Martin Stuart Martin (born 8 January 1986) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles in the Channel 4 comedy-drama '' Babylon'' (2014), as well as the historical dramas '' Medici: Masters of Florence'' (2016), '' Jamestown'' (2017–2019), and '' ...

: Cosimo's younger brother *

Annabel Scholey Annabel Scholey (born 10 January 1984) is an English actress. She played Lauren Drake in the BBC supernatural drama '' Being Human'' (2009) and the leading role of 'Maddie' in the musical feature film '' Walking on Sunshine'' (2014). Scholey p ...

as Contessina de' Bardi: Cosimo's wife. Scholey also appears in season 2 as an older Contessina in flashback scenes. *

Guido Caprino Guido Caprino (born 3 January 1974) is an Italian stage, film and television actor. Life and career Born in Taormina, Caprino grew up in Nizza di Sicilia and graduated as a dental technician in Messina. He then moved to Milan, where he worked ...

as Marco Bello: Cosimo's loyal friend and ally, also appears in season 2 in flashback scenes. *

Alessandro Sperduti Alessandro Sperduti (born 8 July 1987) is an Italian actor who has appeared in multiple television and film productions since the age of 11. In 2016, he was noted for his performance as Piero de' Medici in the Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione ...

as Piero de' Medici: Cosimo's son * Ken Bones as Ugo Bencini: Administrator of the Medici Bank *

Lex Shrapnel Alexander Carey Shrapnel (born 6 October 1979) is an English actor and voice actor. Early life Shrapnel was born on 6 October 1979 in London, the second of three boys for actor John Shrapnel and Francesca Ann (née Bartley). He is the brother of ...

as Rinaldo degli Albizzi: Cosimo's enemy *

Daniel Caltagirone Daniel Caltagirone (born 18 June 1972) is an English actor, best known for his roles in '' The Beach'', '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'', and the Oscar-winning film '' The Pianist''. His breakthrough role came in the television ser ...

as Andrea Pazzi: A powerful member of the Signoria * Valentina Bellè (dub. :

Aisling Franciosi Aisling Franciosi ( , ; born 6 June 1993) is an Irish actress. She won an AACTA Award for her leading performance in the film '' The Nightingale'' (2018). On television, she is known for her roles in the RTÉ-BBC Two crime drama '' The Fall'' (20 ...

) as

Lucrezia Tornabuoni Lucrezia Tornabuoni (22 June 1427 – 25 March 1482) was an influential Italian political adviser and author during the 15th century. She was a member of one of the most powerful Italian families of the time and married Piero di Cosimo de' Medic ...

: Piero's wife *

Alessandro Preziosi Alessandro Preziosi (born 19 April 1973) is an Italian actor. Biography Son of lawyers, Preziosi was born and raised in Avellino, Italy, later moving to nearby Vomero, Naples. He completed his classical studies at the Liceo Umberto I of Naple ...

(dub. : Jeremy Nicholas) as

*Eugenio Franceschini (dub. : Alex Wells-King) as Ormanno Albizzi: Rinaldo and Alessandra's son *

Sarah Felberbaum Sarah Felberbaum is an Italian actress. Life and career Born in London to a British mother and an American father of German Jewish descent, Felberbaum moved to Italy with her family when she was a year old. At 15 she started working as a model ...

as Maddalena: Cosimo's lover in Venice and Florence * Miriam Leone as Bianca: Cosimo's lover in Rome *Michael Schermi (dub. : Callum Cameron) as Ricciardo: A common man of Florence, loyal to Cosimo *Tatjana Inez Nardone as Emilia: Contessina's maid *

Valentina Cervi Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress. Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austri ...

as Alessandra Albizzi: Rinaldo's wife * Brian Cox as

Bernardo Guadagni Bernardo Guadagni (1361 – 1434) was twice elected Gonfalonier of Justice (President of the Republic of Florence). During his second term, he had his powerful rival Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 Augu ...

: Officer of the Signoria *

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (c. 1360 – February 1429) was an Italian banker and founder of the Medici Bank. While other members of the Medici family, such as Chiarissimo di Giambuono de' Medici, who served in the Signoria of Florence i ...

: Cosimo and Lorenzo's father * David Bradley as Count Bardi: Contessina's father * David Bamber as

Pope Eugenius IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

Seasons 2–3: ''The Magnificent''

Daniel Sharman Daniel Andrew Sharman (born 25 April 1986) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Isaac Lahey on the television series '' Teen Wolf'' (2012–2014), Kaleb Westphall / Kol Mikaelson on '' The Originals'' (2014–2015), Troy Otto on ' ...

Lorenzo the Magnificent Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...

**Sam Taylor Buck as young Lorenzo (recurring season 2) *

Bradley James Bradley James (born 1983 or 1984) is an English actor. He is best known for starring as Arthur Pendragon in the BBC TV (NBC in America) series ''Merlin,'' Damien Thorn in '' Damien'', Varga in '' Underworld: Blood Wars'', Giuliano de' Medici '' ...

Giuliano de' Medici Giuliano de' Medici (25 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of Florence, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his brother's image as the ...

(season 2; recurring season 3): Lorenzo's younger brother *

Sarah Parish Sarah Parish (born 7 June 1968) is an English actress. She is known for her work on television series including: ''The Pillars of the Earth'', ''Peak Practice'', '' Hearts and Bones'', ''Cutting It'', ''Doctor Who'', '' Mistresses'', ''Merlin'', ...

as Lucrezia Tornabuoni: Lorenzo's mother *

Synnøve Karlsen Synnøve Karlsen () is a Norwegian-British actress best known for playing Clarice Orsini in the historical drama series '' Medici'', Holly McStay in the BBC thriller series ''Clique'' and Jocasta in the 2021 Edgar Wright psychological horror f ...

Clarice Orsini Clarice Orsini (1453–1488) was the daughter of Iacopo Orsini, and his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini both from the Orsini family, a great Roman noble house and was the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici. Life Clarice and Lorenzo married 4 June ...

or Clarice de' Medici: Lorenzo's wife *

Alessandra Mastronardi Alessandra Carina Mastronardi (born February 18, 1986) is an Italian actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' To Rome with Love'' and ''The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'', and the television series ''Master of None'', for ...

Lucrezia Donati Lucrezia Donati (Florence, Italy; 1447-''ibidem'', 1501) was an Italian noblewoman, mistress of Lorenzo de' Medici. The identity of the woman in the sculpture ''Dama col mazzolino'', at Bargello Museum in Florence could be attributed to Lucrezi ...

: Lorenzo's lover (season 2), ex lover (season 3) *

Julian Sands Julian Richard Morley Sands''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, ...

as Piero de' Medici: Lorenzo's father *Matteo Martari (dub. : Jack Hickey) as

Francesco de' Pazzi Francesco de' Pazzi (28 January 1444 – 26 April 1478) was an Italian banker and one of the instigators of the Pazzi conspiracy. On Sunday, 26 April 1478, in an incident known as the Pazzi conspiracy, a group headed by Girolamo Riario, France ...

(season 2): Jacopo's nephew **Niccolo Alaimo as young Francesco (recurring season 2) *

Aurora Ruffino Aurora Ruffino (born 22 May 1989) is an Italian actress. Biography Aurora Ruffino was born in Turin, the fourth of six children, but was raised in Druento, where she attended elementary and middle school. At age 5 she was orphaned when her mot ...

(dub. : Peta Cornish) as Bianca de' Medici (season 2; recurring season 3): Lorenzo's sister *

Matilda Lutz Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz (born 28 January 1991 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian model and actress. She starred in the 2017 horror film '' Rings'' and action thriller film ''Revenge''. She also appeared in the Netflix series '' Medici - The Mag ...

Simonetta Vespucci Simonetta Vespucci (née Cattaneo; 1453 – 26 April 1476), nicknamed ''la bella Simonetta'', was an Italian noblewoman from Genoa, the wife of Marco Vespucci of Florence and the cousin-in-law of Amerigo Vespucci. She was known as the grea ...

(season 2): Giuliano's lover *

Filippo Nigro Filippo Nigro (born 3 December 1970) is an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Nigro studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia under Lina Wertmüller. After a minor role in the 2001 Ferzan Ozpetek's drama film ''The Ignor ...

as Luca Soderini (season 2): Lorenzo's ally *

as Contessina de' Bardi (season 2) *

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...

as Jacopo de' Pazzi (season 2) *

Raoul Bova Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''Piccolo grande amore'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include '' Under the Tusc ...

(season 2) and John Lynch (recurring season 3) as

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

* Louis Partridge as Piero de' Medici: Lorenzo and Clarice's eldest son (season 3) **Hughie Hamer as young Piero (season 3) *Andrei Claude as

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...

(season 2) * William Franklyn-Miller as Giovanni de' Medici: Lorenzo and Clarice's second son (season 3) **Nico Delpiano as young Giovanni (season 3) *

Jacob Dudman Jacob Stanley Dudman (born 22 August 1997) is an English actor, writer and filmmaker. He is known for his roles in Netflix programs '' The Stranger'' (2020), ''Medici'' (2019), '' Fate: The Winx Saga'' (2021-2022) and the BBC iPlayer series '' T ...

as Giulio de' Medici: Giuliano and Fioretta's illegitimate son, Lorenzo and Clarice's adoptive son (season 3) **Zukki DeAbaitua as young Giulio (recurring season 3) *Grace May O’Leary as Maddalena de' Medici: Lorenzo and Clarice's only daughter (season 3) * Francesco Montanari (dub. : Peter Gaynor) as

Girolamo Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, , ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498) or Jerome Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar from Ferrara and preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He was known for his prophecies of civic glory, the destruction of ...

(season 3) * Johnny Harris as Bruno Bernardi (season 3) *

Sebastian de Souza Sebastian Denis de Souza (born 19 April 1993)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England and Wales, 1916–2005'' B100D is an English actor. He is best known for playing Matty Levan in the E4 teen drama series '' Skins''. He has since starre ...

(season 3, recurring season 2): Lorenzo's friend and painter *Callum Blake as

Carlo de' Medici Carlo di Cosimo de' Medici (1428 or 1430 – May 29, 1492) was an Italian priest. A member of the powerful Medici family, he became a senior clergyman and collector. Early life Born in Florence, he was the illegitimate son of Cosimo de' Me ...

(season 3, recurring season 2): Lorenzo's uncle who lives in Rome *Jack Roth as

: the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV (season 3) **Marius Bizau as younger Girolamo Riario (recurring season 2) *

Toby Regbo Toby Finn Regbo (born 18 October 1991) is an English actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his role as young Nemo Nobody in the science fiction drama '' Mr. Nobody'', as Francis II of France on The CW series ''R ...

as Tommaso Peruzzi (season 3) * Rose Williams as Caterina Sforza Riario: Girolamo Riario's wife (season 3) *Chiara Baschetti as

Fioretta Gorini Fioretta Gorini (1453/60 – possibly 1478) was the mistress of Giuliano de' Medici and the probable mother of Giulio de' Medici, the future Pope Clement VII. Gorini was the daughter of a professor, Antonio Gorini. Her actual name was Antonia or ...

: Giuliano's ex-mistress and Giulio's late mother (season 3)

Appearances

Production

Sergio Mimica-Gezzan directed all eight episodes in the first season. The show's world premiere took place in Florence at

Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio ( "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi. Originally ...

on the 14 October 2016, ahead of its premiere airing on RAI 1 on October 18. Filming for the second season started in Rome on 24 August 2017. On 28 August 2018 filming for the third season started in Formello, outside

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Historical accuracy

During an interview at the Roma Fest panel in 2015, Spotnitz stated, "the season will be more thriller than historical saga... we begin the show with a 'what if' because we don't know how Giovanni de' Medici died. One of the questions that haunts Cosimo, is whether his father was murdered".

Locations

Several noticeable locations are used throughout the series, in addition to sets and sound stages: * Bracciano Castle: The principal courtyards and staircases of the Orsini-Odescalchi castle in Bracciano serve as streets in Florence, a palace in Rome, and the ancestral home of Contessina de' Bardi. The central courtyard in the Castle features a particularly recognisable staircase with the sculpture of a bear; this staircase becomes the principal entrance of the Medici home in Florence with the addition of the Medici Coat of Arms. * The

Villa Farnese The Villa Farnese, also known as Villa Caprarola, is a pentagonal mansion in the town of Caprarola in the province of Viterbo, Northern Lazio, Italy, approximately north-west of Rome. This villa should not be confused with the Palazzo Farnese a ...

in Caprarola and its gardens: The frescoed and ring-vaulted internal terrace-courtyard of Villa Caprarola doubles as a Medici villa in the series, while an un-frescoed terrace is used as a Vatican property in Rome. The Caprarola secret gardens with their unique fountains are used to represent the Vatican Gardens. The creators took significant liberties with sets, often showing interior decorations, works of art, and exterior landscapes that were created many years after the events described in the series which occur in the mid-1430s. For example, the Medici Palazzo was built in 1440s–1480s and the Benozzo Gozzoli frescoes of Magi Chapel shown in the Cosimo study were executed in 1459–61. The Lorenzo rooms are decorated with the Giulio Romano fresco "Mars and Venus" which was painted in the 1520s in Palazzo Te in Mantova. During the episode exile in Venice, the church of Santa Maria della Salute built in the 1630s is repeatedly shown as part of the Venice city landscape. Villa Medici contains "Fortitude and Temperance with Six Antique Heroes" by Perugino, painted in 1497. * Castle of

Santa Severa Santa Severa is a '' frazione'' of the '' comune'' of Santa Marinella, in the province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is a small sea resort on the Via Aurelia, c. south of Santa Marinella and north of Rome. It takes its name from the 2nd-century ...

is Cardinal Baldassarre Cossa's Palace. * The medieval oldtown of

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

and its Palazzo dei Papi are the set for late medieval Rome. * Hadrian's Villa in

Tivoli Tivoli may refer to: * Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli Buildings * Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855 * Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), ...

is another set for Rome; Cosimo meets

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Florence, he studied classical sculpture and used this to develop a complete Renaissance st ...

along the Canopus. * Borgo di Rota, a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a '' comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate terri ...

Tolfa Tolfa is a town and '' comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy; it lies to the ENE of Civitavecchia by road. It is the main center in the Monti della Tolfa, an extinct volcanic group between Civitavecchia ...

, is the set for Francesco Sforza's army camp and the village where Lorenzo meets mercenary Ferzetti (played by

Alessandro Cremona Alessandro Cremona (born 1969) is an Italian actor best known in English language cinema for his role of the henchman Marco Sciarra in the James Bond film, ''Spectre'' (2015). Biography He was born in Busto Arsizio in the province of Varese. His ...

). *

Pienza Pienza () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia. Situated between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism". In 1996, UNESCO ...

: used as the Palazzo Medici, the streets of Florence, and the background for Cosimo's wedding. * Montepulciano: Several scenes are filmed outside the Duomo using the unfinished façade of the cathedral as a backdrop. These scenes often incorrectly show the Duomo of Florence rising in the background to the north. The Communal Palace, also in Piazza Grande, is part of several scenes, as is the Church of San Biagio.

Technical details

''Medici: Masters of Florence'' was originated in 4k video and broadcast in this format on the free Italian satellite service Tivu whilst on the Italian Digital Terrestrial service DVB-T2 it was broadcast in Full-HD 1920×1080. Two audio tracks were broadcast: Rai TV gave satellite and terrestrial viewers the option to watch the series in Italian or English.

International transmission

carries out the show in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and India since December 2016. The series is broadcast in 190 countries worldwide, including on SBS in Australia, on

Fox Premium Star Premium (formerly known as Fox+ and Fox Premium) was a multiplex suite of premium Latin American subscription television channels owned by The Walt Disney Company Latin America. The network competed with HBO Latin America and its programm ...

in Argentina,

SFR SFR (; ''Société française du radiotéléphone'', ) is a French telecommunications company. As of December 2015, it had 21.9 million customers in Metropolitan France for mobile services, and provided 6.35 million households with high-spee ...

's premium SVOD service Zive in France,

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

in Germany, on

RTP1 RTP1 (''RTP um'') is a Portuguese free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP). It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainst ...

in Portugal, and on

RTS2 RTS2 (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС2; Second program of RTS ( sr, Други програм РТС-а/), Second channel of RTS (/ ) or only Second (/ )) is a Serbian public TV channel operated by RTS. It focuses on culture, in addition to offering mus ...

in Serbia. It was also sold in Japan, Israel, and New Zealand.

Home media

The second season was also released in Blu-Ray (Region B) on the 24 January 2019. Both Italian editions have the original audio track in English and the Italian-dubbed audio track.

Other media

On the 16 October 2018, a novelisation of the events told in the second season titled ''I Medici - Lorenzo il Magnifico'' was published in Italy by Michele Gazo.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the series was composed by

Paolo Buonvino Paolo Buonvino (born 29 March 1968) is an Italian composer, musician, conductor, and music arranger. Life and career Buonvino was born on 29 March 1968 in Scordia, a comune in Sicily, Italy. He earned his Piano Bachelor-Degree from the Cons ...

. The opening theme song ''Renaissance'' was produced with the collaboration of

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

. A video clip for the song was also published the day before the series premiered in Italy. The opening theme song for the second season changed. Skin and Buonvino collaborated on a variation of the original opening sequence song titled ''Revolution Bones''. Ian Arber composed additional music for the second season. On December 20, 2019 the full soundtrack ''I Medici (Music from the Original TV Series)'' was released by Sugar Music with a total of 47 tracks composed by Paolo Buonvino.

Track listing

Reception

Awards

References

External links

* *
Trailer
on YouTube (English with French Subtitles). Posted 8 October 2016.
Medici: Masters of Florence Dedicated Website
* {{Authority control House of Medici 2016 Italian television series debuts 2016 British television series debuts 2010s Italian television series 2010s British drama television series British historical television series Historical television series Television series about the history of Italy Television series set in the 15th century Cultural depictions of Lorenzo de' Medici Television shows set in Florence Cultural depictions of Niccolò Machiavelli Cultural depictions of Girolamo Savonarola Cultural depictions of Caterina Sforza Depictions of Leonardo da Vinci on television Cultural depictions of Michelangelo Sandro Botticelli RAI original programming