cortile, internal court surrounded by an arcade, characteristic of the Italian palace, or palazzo, during the Renaissance and its aftermath. Among the earliest examples are those of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, both of the late 15th century. The cortile of the Pitti Palace (1560) is one of the most important examples of Mannerist architecture in Florence.
The cortile reached the peak of its development in Rome. Here the earliest example of a pure Renaissance cortile is the Palazzo della Cancelleria (begun in 1486), designed by Donato Bramante; the most monumental example is the Palazzo Farnese (completed in 1547), in the design of which Michelangelo had a hand.