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The present palazzo was erected on the site of a medieval fortress. In 1577 Bartolomeo Ammanati planned a four-cornered building with a central courtyard. This palazzo was unfinished; the north and west wings were not built because of a lack of funds. It remained unfinished until 1728, when a local architect carried out a plan for a second courtyard.
The palazzo was significantly improved when, at the Restoration, Maria Louise of Bourbon arrived in Lucca in 1817 with a court that was to energize the life of the city. The artist in charge was the architect Lorenzo Nottolini, and he carried out a number of spectacular works, such as the staircase with a vault decorated in the Rococo style.
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