Menagerie de Medici

Although it's been claimed that money can't buy happiness, it can certainly buy a lot of other things, such as a zoo. The Medici family, who were wealthy lovers of the arts, generously invested in Florence's beautification, which included a magnificent zoo of exotic creatures.

Throughout the majority of the 15th century, the Medici dynasty flourished as one of the richest and most powerful dynasties in Europe. In an effort to win over the influential Florentines, the Burji Sultan of Egypt gave a North African giraffe to Lorenzo de' Medici in 1487. Many people flocked to witness the long-necked animal, which was later shown in a number of well-known Renaissance paintings, including Francesco Bacchiacca's "The Gathering of Manna" from 1540.