The House of Medici was an Italian dynasty with a long lineage of wealthy bankers, politicians and religious leaders from 1230 until 1743. In the late 15th century, they commissioned Madama Palace. Two of its famous family residents became Popes Leo X and Clement VII. The current façade was added in the mid-17th century. The mansion later became the seat of the Papal Government. In 1871, the newly established Kingdom of Italy converted Palazzo Madama into the Senato del Regno. In 1947, the legislative body became the current Senate of the Republic.
