The museums of Florence

A list of the top museums in Florence, Italy

Florence tourist information
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Boticelli's Birth of Venus in the Galleria degli Uffizi, FlorenceThe Uffizi ★★★ - Renaissance painting 101, a cornucopia of Old Masters (Giotto, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, etc.), plus Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Allegory of Spring. One of the world's top galleries... » more

Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, FlorenceThe Accademia ★★★ - So much more than just Michelangelo's David (but, yes, that is here), this fine arts academy houses works by Botticelli, Giambologna, and Andrea del Sarto as well as several more Michelangelo sculptures that are, to many, more interesting than the David: a group half-finished Slaves that showcase the master's carving technique... » more

Galleria Nazionale del Bargello, FirenzeThe Bargello ★★> - What the Uffizi is to paintings, the Bargello is to sculpture: Donatello, Michelangelo, Giambologna, Ghiberti, Desiderio da Settignano, Agostino di Duccio, Vecchietta, Michelozzo, Luca della Robbia, and many more. » more

The Galleria Palatina painting museum in the Palazzo Pitti of Florence★★ Pitti Palace - A half dozen museums (including a killer painting gallery called the Galleria Palatina that acts as a kind of "Uffizi: Part II," covering the late Renaissance and baroque eras) and the lovely landscaped Boboli Gardens. » more

Statues in the Duomo Museum, FlorenceMuseo dell'Opera del Duomo ★★ - A wonderful little museum hidden behind the cathedral and home to all sorts of works that used to decorate it: to sculptures by Donatello and Michelangelo, Ghiberti's original panels from the Gates of Paradise, and the secrets behind Brunelleschi's revolutionary dome... » more

The Palazzo Vecchio of FlorencePalazzo Vecchio ★★ - Florence's Town Hall since medieval times, the bits not being used by city government are a testament to the Medici Grand Dukes and their talent for self-aggrandizement (also, the most overlooked Michelangelo sculpture in town). » more

The Annunciation by Fra' Angelico in San Marco, Florence Museo di San Marco ★ - The church of San Marco itself is no great shakes—dark and moody, with only a few minor works—but the attached monastery was decorated by its most illustrious resident, the great Renaissance monk and painter Fra' Angelico. It was also later the base of operations for ruling theocrat Girolamo "The Mad Monk" Savonarola... » more

Benozzo Gozzoli's Procession of the Magi in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in FlorencePalazzo Medici-Riccardi ★ - Not really a museum (though it hosts many temporary exhibits), but a nice stopover in the main Medici family palace, famous for the chapel with a vibrant, 360-degree fresco by early Renaissance great Benozzo Gozzoli depicting the Procession of the Magi but populated by Medici and other famous Florentines of the age... » more

An antique astrolabe at the Museo Galileo della Scienza in FlorenceGalileo Museum ★ - Wonderful, often-overlooked museum dedicated to the history of scientific inquiry, especially its early flowering in Renaissance Italy—which is to say, there's a whole lot of Galileo memorabilia, from the telescopes he used to discover the moons of Jupiter (which helped bolster his blasphemous theory that the Sun, not the earth, was at the center of our solar system; this got him in deep trouble with the Inquisition) to his shriveled middle finger (what would an Italian institution be without a holy relic of some sort?) A visit makes a great break from all that art... » more

Michelangelo's Battle of the Centaurs in the Casa Buonarotti museumCasa Buonarotti - A house once owned by Michelangelo's nephew and his descendents, now filled with a few of his earliest, teenaged works. Not a hugely important sight, but an interesting window into the development of the artist as a young man... » more

Casa di Dante in FlorenceDante's "House" - A medieval town home in Dante's old neighborhood (not his actual house) with a tiny museum dedicated to the great poet; honestly, only scholars and confirmed literature nerds will be at all interested... » more

Tips

  • There is a civic museums pass good for admission to eight (mostly minor) local museums, the best of which is Palazzo Vecchio.... » more
  • Use the Firenze Card: Many major museums are covered by the Firenze Card—free admission, no waiting in line. Full Story

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This material was last updated April 2013. All information was accurate at the time.

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