Livadiya is small town in Crimea, Ukraine, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Yalta. A minor Crimean Tatar settlement in Middle Ages, Livadiya was named after the ancient Greek entrance into paradise in 1835, when a notable landscape park was laid out here. Livadiya became a summer residence of the Russian tsars in 1861. Emperor Alexander III of Russia died there in 1894. The Livadia Palace, built in 1910-11, is now a museum. It was formerly a summer palace of the last Russian Imperial family. In 1945, it served as the meeting place of the Yalta Conference and residence of Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Conference. Nowadays, Livadiya is known primarily for producing wine and is also a noted health resort.

Livadia Palace was a summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family in Livadiya, Crimea in southern Ukraine. The Yalta Conference was held there in 1945, when the palace housed the apartments of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and other members of the American delegation. Today the palace houses a museum, but it is sometimes used by the Ukrainian authorities for international summits.

The history of the Livadia Palace started from 1834 when Leo Potocki, the Polish magnate, acquired Livadiya and built a palace designed by K. I. Ashliman (1808–1893). His gardener, Dellinger, landscaped a 40 desiatina park (desiatina is archaic Russian land measure, 1 desiatina equals 1.09 ha) around the palace.

In 1860, the empress, the wife of Alexander II, became the owner of the estate.

The new owners refurbished the vineyard that was planted as long ago as at the time of Potocki, and started reconstruction of the palace. Construction of the Small Palace to the design of I. A. Monighetti was also started. It was meant for the hire, the future emperor Alexander III. Appearance and the interiors of the Small Palace resembled the Bakhchisaray Palace setting the pace for many buildings along the South Coast of Crimea of that time (it was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and a sports ground was constructed in its place).

In 1891, the tsar's estate was expanded by means of Oreanda town purchased from hires of Great Duke Konstantin. The estate became as large as 350 desiatinas.

Formerly granted to Lambros Katsonis and then a possession of the Potocki family, the Livadia estate became a summer residence of the Russian imperial family in the 1860s, when architect Ippolito Monighetti built a large palace, a small palace, and a church there. The residence was frequented by Alexander II of Russia, while his successor Alexander III used to live (and has ultimately died) in the smaller palace. It was perhaps disagreeable associations with the latter circumstance that induced his son Nicholas to have both palaces torn down and replaced with a larger structure.

In 1909 Nicholas and his wife travelled to Italy, where they were captivated by Renaissance palaces shown to them by Victor Emmanuel III. Upon their return, they engaged Nikolay Krasnov, Yalta's most fashionable architect, responsible for the grand ducal residences in Koreiz, to prepare plans for a brand new imperial palace. The tsar's diary testifies that the design was much discussed in the imperial family; it was decided that all four facades of the palace should look different. Construction works lasted for seventeen months; the new palace was inaugurated on 11 September 1911. Grand Duchess Olga celebrated her 16th birthday that November at Livadia.

The palace was once used as a mental institution, and now serves as a museum on the territory of Ukraine. Most of the historical artifacts have been lost, but anything that has been recovered can be seen for a small fee. In August 2007 the palace was recognized as a landmark of a modern history by the Seven Wonders of Ukraine project. Ukrainian pop singer Sofia Rotaru, who celebrated her 60th birthday at the palace in the company of the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Moldavia - the second such meeting since the Yalta Conference - funded the reconstruction of Livadia Palace in 2008.

The Livadia Palace is built of white Crimean granite in the Neo-Renaissance style. The edifice features an arched portico of Carrara marble, a spacious Arabic patio, an Italian patio, a Florentine tower, ornate Bramantesque windows, a "balcony-belvedere", and multiple bays with jasper vases. A gallery connects the palace with a neo-Byzantine church of the Exaltation of the Cross, built by Monighetti in 1866.

The palace contains 116 rooms, with interiors furnished in different styles. There are a Pompeian vestibule, an English billiard-room, a Neo-baroque dining room, and a Jacob-style study of maple wood, which elicited particular admiration of Nicholas II.

First the architect supposed to make a square palace with the main entrance from the East. However, the plan had been changed. When looking at the palace, the east facade is sort of outstretched and asymmetrical. The external stairway with galleries appears to be at the left corner, and towers are from the right. The central entrance is shifted to the north facade and made in the form of a prominent porch with three semi-circular arches supported by the paired elegant Corinthian columns (pay attention to the great marble carving). The architect planned an interesting "cascade" of volumes from the North — from the three-storied tower on the left to the one-storied dining room on the right.

As for the southern facade facing the sea, its left side, we think, looks a bit weighted. From the West, a Byzantine style church adjoins the palace. Monighetti rebuilt the church of the Potocki's catholic chapel. Krasnov had to keep it and include it in the composition of the palace ensemble. Though it does not keep with the palace architecture, we should pay tribute to the designer who managed to skilfully "hide" this.

It is here, near the church, where the most amazing part of the palace is — the Italian patio. The patio is surrounded with the arcade of semi-circular arches based on Doric columns. String cornices of the cross dome go from the capitals and form a shady stanzas. Harmonious proportions, clear rhythm of the arches and columns, light balustrade over the arches, austere square windows of the second floor, alleys leading to a small fountain in the centre, and finally evergreen plants evoke sensation of harmony and peace. The marble sofas with high backs and arms in the form of griffins do not conflict with the patio architecture, however.

Entrance to the Italian patio from the church side is closed with metal forged gates made by Ural specialists. The gates have an exceptionally fine appearance. The nature of the flower design of the gates is very close to the motifs of the Italian Renaissance.

It should be noted that the use of metal details (gates, laced trellises, Florentine lanterns) in the palace architecture, which are very prominent in the light background, has appeared to be very successful.

What conclusion do you come to after visiting the palace? Of course, the patio and the decoration of the central entrance are borrowed from Italian architecture of the Renaissance. But if we take the whole building, it is a bright example of eclecticism when the architect combines or remakes at his own discretion the art elements of various styles.

Taste of the customer is clearly felt in the decor of the interiors and rooms (there are 58 rooms in the palace). Everything is designed for external effect; everything has to amaze with riches, luxury, and the floridity of workmanship. Particular grandeur can be seen in the large dining room with its splendid sculptures, in the entrance hall with its 1st century Roman influence, in the waiting room which resembles the Hall of Council in the Venice Doge's Palace, in the study in the "Jacob" style, and in the English billiard room.

The easiest way to get to Livadiya is by car from Yalta after a flight to the city of Simferopol.