History museums in Florence

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence holds a huge collection of valuable works mostly from the Italian Renaissance. The building was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici, the second Duke of Florence, to house administrative offices and the state archive. Over the time, the Medici fam

Giotto's Bell Tower, located in Duomo Square in Florence, Italy, is a standalone bell tower that forms part of the complex complementing the Florence Cathedral. This architectural marvel is a significant part of Florence's Gothic architecture and is worth a visit for its rich plastic arts decoration and colorful marble plating.

The Accademia Gallery in Florence was founded in 1784 and holds Michelangelo's masterpiece - the statue of David. Apart from this famous sculpture, it holds other artworks by Michelangelo and a collection of Renaissance paintings. The marble statue of the Biblical hero David was created between 1501

Museo Nazionale del Bargello is a museum in Florence that is housed in a 13th-century palace which is the oldest public building in Florence. It opened as a national museum in 1865 after it was used as barracks, a prison, and finally the residence of the Bargello, the head of the police. The art gal

Located just behind the cathedral, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo was founded in 1891 to hold the works of art that were originally decorating the Baptistry of San Giovanni, the Duomo and Giotto's Bell Tower. There are over 750 medieval and Renaissance statues and reliefs situated over three floors

Museo Galileo is a museum in Florence where visitors can learn about the history of science. Housed in Palazzo Castellani, the museum boasts a great collection of scientific instruments from the Medici Collection dating back to the 15th century. The permanent exhibition is devoted to Galileo, even G

Museo di San Marco is an art museum in Florence that is housed in a medieval Dominican convent designed in the 15th century by a notable Italian architect Michelozzo, one of the pioneers of Renaissance architecture in Florence. The extensive collection of artworks contains paintings and frescoes by

The Vasari Corridor in Florence is an enclosed passageway that was built in 1565 by Cosimo I de' Medici. Linking the Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Vecchio, this corridor is decorated with paintings by Raphael, Bernini, Rubens, and Rembrandt. There are windows in the middle of Ponte Vecchio that off

The Stibbert Museum in Florence holds and exhibits a collection of over 36,000 artifacts, including a large collection of armour from Eastern and Western civilizations. The museum is housed in a villa that was once the home of English art collector and businessma Frederick Stibbert. It has 57 rooms

Located in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, the Brancacci Chapel is notable for its outstanding frescoes made by Masaccio and Masolino, great Italian Renaissance painters. The work on the chapel was finished by Filippino Lippi. Some of the highlights include The Temptation of Adam and Eve and

Built in the 14th century by the wealthy Davizzi family, the Palazzo Davanzati is layered with history. The palace houses the Museum of the Old Florentine House and is the best-preserved medieval home in Florence and was furnished with art and furniture from that period. After restoration in 2012, i

The Renaissance palace Palazzo Medici Riccardi was built by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici between 1444 and 1484. He moved to Palazzo Vecchio in 1540, but part of the Medici family stayed here until 1659 when Ferdinando II sold it to the Riccardi family, a rich family of bankers who

The Museo Bardini (Bardini Museum) is a musuem in FLorence that houses a collection of more than 3600 works, including paintings, sculptures, armor, musical instruments, ceramics, coins, medals and antique furniture. Two rooms on the ground floor are dedicated to Florence and its history, with some

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale (The national Archaeology Museum) in Florence is housed in a 17th-century palace, containing collections of Etruscan, Roman, Greek, Egyptian artworks and everyday items. The Egyptian Museum is housed on the first floor, recently expanded with two halls dedicated to C

The Tesoro dei Granduchi (Treasure of the Grand Dukes) is part of the Palazzo Pitti complex in Florence. Established in the second half of the 19th century, it is housed in the northern side wing of the main building and extends over 14 rooms on the ground floor and 13 rooms at the mezzanine floor a

The Basilica di Santa Croce is one of the most important churches of Florence and is considered one of the most beautiful Gothic basilicas of Italy. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world and because of all the burial monuments inside, the church functions as the pantheon of Florence. In t

The Leonardo Da Vinci Museum in Florence displays a collection of interactive machines based on the original sketches of Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Museo Horne is a museum that is housed in the former Palazzo Corsi in Florence that holds a collection that mainly consists of art and furnishings of the 14th and 15th centuries. The collection includes ancient artifacts, sculptures, painted chests and a notable collection of manuscripts and pai

The Cenacolo di Fuligno is a museum in Florence that is dedicated to the great Last Supper by Pietro Perugino, in the refectory of the former convent of Sant'Onofrio, also known as the nuns of Foligno. In addition to The Last Supper of Perugino on the back wall of the refectory, the museum is dedica

The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology (Museo Nazionale di Antropologia ed Etnologia) is a museum in FLorence that is housed in Palazzo Nonfinito. The museum holds around 15,000 ethnological pieces and 6,100 anthropological pieces and a photographic collection with 26,000 prints and 7,000 negative

The Porcelain Museum is located in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The museum holds a great collection of porcelain that was once in possession of the ruling families - the Medici, Lorraine, and Savoy. The items on display originate from different periods and are not only from Italy, but also from A

The Santo Stefano al Ponte is a Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic church in Florence. The church is used as a concert hall and features various artworks, while the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the rectory and adjacent spaces to the church of Santo Stefano al Ponte houses a collection of w

The Leonardo Interactive Museum in Florence displays reproductions of artworks, inventions and designs by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Bellini Museum or Galleria Luigi Bellini (Museo Bellini) is a private museum in Florence. The museum holds a collection of a dynasty of antiquarians (since the 18th century), which contains objects such as tables painted with gold from the Middle Ages, small bronzes, wooden sculptures, majolica

The Museo del Ciclismo Gino Bartali ("Gino Bartali" Cycling Museum) is a museum in Florence that consists of three exhibition rooms, a reading room, an audio / video room and an archive. The first room is dedicated to Gino Bartali (an Italian a champion road cyclist) and his memorabilia, including t

The Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria Paolo Graziosi (The Florentine Museum of Prehistory "Paolo Graziosi") is a museum in Florence that is housed in the former convent of the Oblate Sisters (Complesso delle Oblate). The museum features two large halls, with numerous finds exhibited in chronological or

Dating back to the 14th century, this Gothic building houses the Museo del Bigallo. The collection includes both historical and religious works donated by the brotherhood Compagnia della Misericordia and most of the paintings depict their life. Furthermore, the museum displays frescoes which origina

The Basilica di Santa Maria Novella is a basilica in Florence of which the façade was built by Leon Battista Alberti in 1470. The church contains the fresco The Holy Trinity of Masaccio. Annexed to it are the buildings of the convent, with three monumental cloisters. The Green Cloister, the Spanish

The Salvatore Romano Foundation is located in the Cenacle of Santo Spirito at the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Florence. The large room features a collection of sculptures from the 11th to the 15th century that was donated to Florence by the antiquarian Salvatore Romano. The collection features two

Opened in 1965, the Dante's House museum stands on the site of a house where Dante Alighieri was born in 1265. With exhibitions spread over three floors, the museum is devoted to this great Italian writer, artist, and politician. The first floor displays document about the 13th century Florence and