The Studiolo of Francesco I

A tiny room within the immense Palazzo Vecchio, to which only Francesco I, a passionate alchemist, had access through his bedroom. It is windowless and entirely decorated with paintings behind which secret passageways and closets are hidden: the perfect place for Francesco I to carry on his experiments, including a poison made from the venom of ten thousand scorpions and its antidote, tested on prisoners sentenced to death. The Medicis had a passion for alembics, horoscopes, grimoires and secret laboratories, which open the door to many other amazing stories.