Museums of Florence Italy

Visit the 12 best museums in Florence (Firenze - Italy)

Book tickets for museums in Florence (Firenze), like the famous Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell'Accademia and Leonardo da Vinci Museum. An overview of the best museums of Florence Italy:

A museum visit in Florence Italy

The many churches that the Tuscan capital Firenze has to offer are already a museum in itself. And likewise the sights of Florence form a large open-air museum. Besides the art museum Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery there are a lot of other museums in Florence Italy that are worth a visit. For example, visit the museum dedicated to one of Florence's greatest artists / scientists Leonardo da Vinci. Or for the fashion lover, stop by the museum dedicated to the Italian fashion designer Gucci. In Florence there is a museum for everyone, so a museum visit never has to be boring. Below is an overview of the best museums in Florence:

Uffizi Museum Florence

Accademia Gallery

Bargello

Galileo Museum

1. Museo di Palazzo Davanzati

The Casa Fiorentina Antica museum is located in the Palazzo Davanzati. The Palazzo is characteristic of the homes of the wealthy families in the fourteenth century. The Palazzo was built for the Davizzi family in the fourteenth century. In the sixteenth century, the house passed into the hands of the wealthy merchant Bernardo Danvanzati. The Palazzo is the best preserved palace from the Middle Ages and is also decorated with art and furniture from that period. When you visit the Museo Casa Fiorentina Antica, be sure to check out the following rooms:

• The Sala Grande, where you can see four hatches through which oil was thrown out. You will also find sixteenth-century furniture and extravagances.
• The Sala dei Pappagalli, where you will see frescoes depicting parrots.
• The Sala Piccola, where you can see a bedroom and bathroom of a child.
• The Sala dei Pavoni, the master bedroom, where you can see Moorish influences.
• The same layout can be found on the next floor. Make sure that you view the Flemish tapestries and the bridal trunks. On the top floor you will also find the kitchen

• Location: Via Porta Rossa, 13
• Admission: 6 € (free entry with FirenzeCard) / 18 - 25 years 2.00 € / 0 - 17 years free
• Hours: Wednesday to Friday 2:00 pm - 6:3 0pm and Saturday to Monday 1:45 pm - 6:30 pm. Closed on Tuesday.
• Website

^{A medieval palace in Florence Italy}

^{Interior of Palazzo Davanzati}

2. Museo Stibbert

The beautiful Stibbert museum is located further away from the city center on the Montughi hill and it contains approximately 36,000 artifacts, including weapon uniforms from Eastern and Western civilizations. The museum is located in the former villa of the Stibbert family, whose wealth came from successes in the British East India Company. Grandson Frederick Stibbert inherited the villa and since the wealth did not require him to work, he committed to collecting artifacts, artifacts and antiquities. As his collection grew larger than the available space, he hired architect Poggi to build more rooms. Now the museum has 57 rooms, where you can see objects from all over the world. You will see paintings, furniture, porcelain, Etruscan artifacts, Tuscan crucifixes and even a uniform worn by Napoleon.

• Location: Via Federico Stibbert, 26. Unfortunately, this is 2 kilometers from the hotels in the center and not easy to reach by public transport.
• Admission: 8 € (book tickets online or included in the FirenzeCard)
• Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, Friday to Sunday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. Thursday closed.
• Website

^{Museo Stibbert}

^{Museo Stibbert}

3. Museo degli Innocenti

The Museo degli Innocenti used to be an orphanage and is located in the beautiful square Piazza della Santaissima Annunziata. Only since 2016 has it become an interesting museum about the orphans who once lived in the building. The orphanage was designed by Brunelleschi and clearly shows the Renaissance influences. The recent conversion has costed the city about 12.8 million. About 1500 square meters is used as an exhibition space. You will experience how poor children lived in those days, giving you a good idea of childhood through the ages. You will find documents on this subject, but also a number of paintings. Via audio and video you can hear 70 stories of orphans who actually grew up and taught in the orphanage.

• Location: Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, 13
• Admission: 10 € (included in FirenzeCard)
• Hours: From April 1 to September 14: from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm (every day except Tuesday and Wednesday). From September 17 to March 29: from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm (every day except Tuesday and Wednesday).
• Website

^{TheMuseo degli Innocenti}

^{Courtyard of the former orphanage}

4. Leonardo da Vinci Museum Florence

Note: In Florence there are two museums dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci: one is located on Via dei Servi 66 and the other one hundred meters further on Via Cavour. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum on the Via dei Servi 66 is the one that you should choose (the one on Via Cavour is mainly for worskhops). The museum at the Via dei Servi is slightly more elaborate, as it also shows Da Vinci's anatomical works and paintings. Unlike the serious museums, such as the Uffizi, these Leonardo da Vinci Museums are especially interesting for all ages. The museum is an interactive museum with more than forty models. This makes it a fun museum for children, because they are introduced to Da Vinci's work in a playful way. In the museum you will find scientific instruments, war machines and even the first airplanes. Contemporary researchers still use Da Vinci's models as an example, showing that the man was way ahead of his time.

In addition, a section is dedicated to his works on human anatomy and you will receive a number of reproductions of his paintings, such as Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man and The Last Supper. The models on display can be found in five compartments. There is the Mechanism department. Models are shown here, in which physical principles and codices are central. There is the Earth section, which shows models related to the Earth, such as the rolling mill. Then there is the water department, where you see equipment such as the hydraulic saw. Then there's the air section, where you'll see things like Leonardo's parachute and helicopter. Finally, there is the fire department, where you can see Leonardo's war

• Location: Via dei Servi 66 Firenze
• Admission: Tickets 7 € / 6 to 25 years 6.00 € / Up to 6 years free (book tickets online)
• Hours: Daily from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (April 1 to October 31 until 7:00 pm)

5. Gucci Museum (Gucci Garden Firenze)

The Gucci museum opened its doors in 2011. This was on the occasion of the ninetieth anniversary of the Florentine fashion brand. The museum is located in Piazza della Mercanzia at the Piazza della Signoria. The museum in Florence is approximately 1700 square meters and shows the history of the fashion brand in all aspects. The building consists of three floors, the first of which contains a Gucci cafe, bookstore and general store. In the shop you can buy iconic items, which have been specially developed for the museum. In addition, you will find here the Gucci travel collection: this is where the growth of the fashion brand started. On the first floor you will find evening wear and bags, many of which have been worn by celebrities. You will also find Flora World here with the famous Gucci Flora design. The second floor is dedicated to the GG monogram or Logomania. This floor also houses the brand's lifestyle and sporting goods.

• Location: Piazza della Signoria 10
• Admission: 8 €
• Hours: Daily from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
• Website

^{The Gucci Museum in Piazza della Signoria}

^{The geological and paleontological museum of Florence}

6. Natural History Museums of Florence

The Museo di Storia Naturale is a collection of natural history museums in Florence that are spread over various locations throughout the city. The museum is part of the University of Firenze. The museum was founded in 1775 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo. At that time the museum consisted of a number of natural history collections. Since then the collection has grown and now it is one of the most special collections in all of Italy. The collections of the Florence Natural History Museum are as follows:

• 'La Specola', the zoological museum with three million zoological species, anatomical wax models and an astronomical tower
• A botanical garden, the fourth oldest in Europe
• The botanical museum with four million plant species
• The geological and paleontological museum with 200,000 species of fossils and skeletons, such as beautiful mammoths
• The National Anthropological and Ethnological Museum with 25,000 anthropological objects in Palazzo Nonfinito

• Official website for more information per museum
• Admission: usually 3 € per museum (free entry with the FirenzeCard)

7. Palazzo Strozzi

The Palazzo Strozzi used to be a Renaissance palace, which housed the Strozzi family. The Strozzis were one of Florence's wealthiest families and the main rivals of the Medici. Since 1999, the palace has been managed by Florence and is used as a temporary exhibition space for the larger exhibits. Until November 2020 there is an exhibition about Tomás Saraceno, an Argentinian contemporary artist with special works around spider webs. The permanent collection includes an exhibition about the history of the palace.

• Location: Piazza Strozzi
• Admission: 13 € (free entry with FirenzeCard) / 18 - 25 years and 65+ 10.00 € / 6 - 18 years 4.00 €
• Hours: Monday to Friday 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Thursday to 11:00 pm). Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm.
• Check this website for tickets and current exhibition

^{Palazzo Strozzi}

^{Reception hall of Palazzo Strozzi}

8. Archaeological Museum (MAF)

The National Archaeological Museum in Florence (MAF Museo Archeologico Nazionale) was founded by Vittorio Emanuele I. First, the museum was located in the Foligno Monastery and then consisted of a collection of Greek and Roman antiquities and ancient Egyptian objects. The collection has been expanded by the Medici's, among others. In 1880 the museum moved to the Palazzo della Crocetta, which is located near the Basilica Santissima Annunziata. The entire first floor is now dedicated to Egypt and is Italy's second largest collection of Egyptian artifacts. This collection has recently been expanded with two additional rooms with Coptic antiques. On the first floor you will also find a section with stone and bronze Roman and Etruscan statues. On the second floor you will find a collection of Attic ceramics, Greek ceramics and an Egyptian sarcophagus.

• Location: Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, 9b
• Admission: 9 € (book tickets online) (Tip: also included in this popular Uffizi combined ticket or in the FirenzeCard)
• Hours: Thursday 2:00 pm - 7:00 am. Friday, Saturday and 1st Sunday of the month 8:30 am - 2:00 pm
• Website

^{A mummy in the archaeological museum}

^{The Archaeological Museum of Florence}

9. Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure

The Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure literally means workshop of semi-precious stones. Originally the name referred to the laboratory where the stones were worked. The Opificio delle Pietre Dure, on the other hand, is more than just a workshop. This site existed before 1588, when Ferdinando I de Medici founded this court-subsidized site, which specialized in the inlaying of semi-precious stones. Over the centuries, the place has been given a different interpretation, namely a laboratory where works of art were restored. It is now part of the Institute of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. In the museum you will find a number of rooms, which you are not allowed to visit, but where artists still do part of the restoration on site. You will also find a room with documents about the various works that have been produced. You will also find tools, stone samples and work tables. You will also receive information about the production stages of the inlay.

• Location: Via degli Alfani, 78
• Admission: 4 € (also included in this popular Uffizi combined ticket or in the FirenzeCard)
• Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:15 am - 2:00 pm (ticket office closes at 1:30 pm). Closed on Sundays, public holidays and June 24.
• Website

10. Casa Buonarroti

Casa Buonarotti is a small museum and monument in honor of Michelangelo Buonarroti. It is a Baroque exhibition of the art collections of the Buonarroti family. You will also find two marble reliefs by Michelangelo, which belong to his earliest work. In addition, you will learn more about the family history of the Buonarrotis themselves, who over the years expanded their homes to preserve the rich art collection from different cultures. You will find sculptures, paintings and archaeological finds, which are displayed over two floors. You will also find the drawings of Michelangelo, all of which the artist wanted to burn before his death. Fortunately, a large number of sketches were in the hands of family and cousin Lorenzo has collected them all into the collection of 205 pieces that you can now visit.

• Location: Via Ghibellina, 70
• Admission: 8 € (free entry with FirenzeCard)
• Hoursn: Wednesday to Monday 10:00 am - 4:30 pm. Closed on Tuesday.
• Website

^{Casa Buonarroti in Florence}

^{Beautiful decorations in Casa Buonarroti}

11. Casa di Dante

The Casa di Dante museum is not the real home where Dante is said to have lived and written. It was built on the spot where the author's birthplace stood. The museum shows Dante's life and work, but also what Florence must have looked like in Dante's time. Next to the museum is also the church of Dante, the Santa Margharita de Cerchi. It is an eleventh century church, which has a strong connection with the author. This is where Dante would have met his beloved Beatrice. It is also the church where Dante eventually married Gemma Donati. Beatrice is buried here. The small museum is interactive with virtual reality concepts, immersive rooms and video mapping. It is a museum that will only appeal to real Dante aficionados; if you are not, I recommend that you quickly pass by.

• Location: Via Santa Margherita, 1
• Admission: 8 € (free entry with FirenzeCard)
• Hours: From November 1 to March 31: Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am - 6 pm (closed on Mondays). From April 1 to October 31: daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
• Website

12. Museo di Medici

Do not! This museum tries to tell the history of seven generations of the influential Medicis. Unfortunately a very disappointing museum with five sparsely furnished rooms. Our advice: spend this 9 euro entrance fee on a few good glasses of wine on the terrace and read Wikipedia to find out more.

13. More museums in Florence