{"id":23919,"date":"2025-01-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/?p=23919"},"modified":"2024-12-15T18:53:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T17:53:52","slug":"lesser-known-museums-in-florence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/en\/lesser-known-museums-in-florence\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden treasures of Florence: 5 lesser-known museums worth visiting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Renowned worldwide for its unparalleled artistic heritage, Florence abounds with so-called \u201clesser-known\u201d museums<\/strong> – though that\u2019s simply a technical label and in no way a reflection of their worth.\u00a0
In this article, we\u2019ve selected five often overlooked gems, typically absent from the usual tourist itineraries, yet brimming with unique treasures, curiosities, and personal stories. Let\u2019s explore them together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Museo Horne: a lavish Renaissance residence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Herbert Percy Horne (1864\u20131916), an English architect, aesthete, and intellectual, first visited Italy at the end of the 19th<\/sup> century, he was enchanted. So much so that a few years later, he settled in Florence – the cradle of the Renaissance<\/a> – to pursue his deep interest in the art and culture of 15th<\/sup>– and 16th<\/sup>-century Italy. (His monograph on <\/strong>Sandro Botticelli<\/strong><\/a> remains a landmark text in the field.) Around the same time, he began assembling a private art collection<\/strong>, and in 1911, upon acquiring Palazzo Corsi in Via de\u2019 Benci, in the Santa Croce district, he embarked on his most ambitious project: recreating, within this 15th<\/sup> century palace, the home of a noble Renaissance family<\/strong>, complete with period furnishings and decor. While painstakingly restoring the building, Horne acquired furniture, utensils, ceramics, coins, seals, books, manuscripts, and incunabula produced in Italy between the 14th<\/sup> and 17th <\/sup>centuries. Unfortunately, he never saw his dream fully realized – he died of tuberculosis in April 1916, just two days after finalizing his will.
From that point on, per Horne\u2019s wishes, the palace and all its contents – art objects, furniture, drawings, library, everything – passed to the Italian State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Madonna col Bambino e Cristo in Piet\u00e0, Simone Martini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The museum opened in 1921. Over time, its arrangement has been altered for both conservation and curatorial reasons. Highlights include the Santo Stefano<\/em><\/strong> by <\/strong>Giotto<\/strong><\/a> (c. 1330\u20131335), the Madonna col Bambino e Cristo in Piet\u00e0 <\/em>diptych by <\/strong>Simone Martini<\/strong><\/a> (1326\u20131328), and a panel by Filippino Lippi<\/strong> (c. 1480) titled La regina Vasti lascia il palazzo reale<\/em>. There are also remarkable works by Giambologna<\/strong><\/a>, Dosso Dossi<\/strong>, and Sansovino<\/strong>, among others. The collection\u2019s sumptuous furniture and extensive holdings of drawings and prints attest to Horne\u2019s eclectic taste and extraordinary personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Santo Stefano, Giotto (lh); La regina Vasti lascia il palazzo reale, Botticelli (rh)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Museo Bardini: antiquities on display<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In late-19th<\/sup> century Florence, a paradise for art lovers and dealers, another influential figure took center stage: Stefano Bardini (1836\u20131922), once known as \u201cIl Principe degli Antiquari<\/strong>\u201d. Originally trained as a painter, Bardini left the Accademia to join the Macchiaioli circle and fight for Italian unification. Upon returning to Florence, he became a pivotal figure for Italian and international collectors, public museums, archaeologists, and celebrated art historians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Madonna dei Cordai<\/em>, Donatello<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1880, Bardini transformed the remnants of the 13<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> century Convent of San Gregorio alla Pace<\/strong>, in Piazza de\u2019 Mozzi, into his gallery. His talent for acquiring ancient artifacts and enhancing spaces was evident. He redesigned the fa\u00e7ade in a then-trendy neo-16th<\/sup> century style and cleverly repurposed altars purchased from a Pistoian church as windows. Inside, his eclectic collection<\/strong> was showcased in luminous, carefully designed interiors. The distinctive blue walls<\/strong> served to highlight each piece, elegantly spaced and never crowded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Michele Arcangelo combatte il drago<\/em>, Pollaiolo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A cultured man and savvy dealer, Bardini bequeathed his invaluable collection to the City of Florence, turning it into a Museo Civico. The 1999 restoration reinstated Bardini\u2019s original design and colors. Even today, as you wander through rooms filled with paintings, sculptures, bronzes, and marble works, you can imagine yourself as a collector from the early 1900s. Standing before San Michele Arcangelo<\/em><\/strong> by Pollaiolo<\/strong> (c. 1460\u201370) or the Madonna col Bambino<\/em><\/strong> by Ghiberti<\/strong> (c. 1430), you might dream of owning them. There are also works by Donatello<\/strong><\/a>, including the famous Madonna dei Cordai<\/em> (c. 1430), and the so called \u201cPorcellino\u201d, the Cinghiale<\/em> made of bronze by Pietro Tacca<\/strong> (1620\u20131633), a copy of which still graces Piazza del Mercato Nuovo. According to tradition, rubbing its snout brings good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fontana del Porcellino, Pietro Tacca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. Museo di Palazzo Davanzati: the quintessential old Florentine home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Elia Volpi<\/strong> (1858\u20131938), once Bardini\u2019s close collaborator, became one of his fiercest competitors upon setting up his own antiquarian business. Among Volpi\u2019s best-known enterprises was acquiring Palazzo Davanzati, a historic patrician residence<\/strong> on Via Porta Rossa, which he converted into a showroom<\/em> and a gathering place for art enthusiasts – especially those from overseas.
In the early 20th<\/sup> century, wealthy Americans visiting Florence were captivated by the Antica Casa Fiorentina and eager to recreate its ambiance back home. Volpi, cunning as his name suggests, encouraged this trend by auctioning off his exclusive furniture, antiques, and art collections in New York, achieving considerable success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Palazzo Davanzati\u2019s story extends centuries before Volpi, leaving visible traces of its 15th<\/sup> and 16th<\/sup> century inhabitants – the Davizzi, its first owners, and the Davanzati, its namesakes. Furnished with pieces from the Florentine Galleries, this unique landmark immerses visitors<\/strong> in the Renaissance lifestyle, introducing them to the spaces, comforts, and daily life of an upper-class Florentine family.
A visit<\/strong><\/a> is highly recommended<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Museo Stibbert: eclecticism and curiosity in the Florentine hills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A wholly different experience awaits at Museo Stibbert – a house-museum embodying the creativity of its owner, Frederick Stibbert<\/strong> (1838\u20131906). Son of an English military officer and a Florentine mother, Stibbert was educated in England but spent most of his life in Florence, dedicated to transforming his villa on Montughi Hill into a museum. He oversaw numerous expansions and renovations to accommodate his vast and varied collection of applied arts from around the globe<\/strong>.
Everything here reflects 19th<\/sup> century taste for art<\/strong>, history, and the exotic: from the neo-Gothic exhibition halls to the themed rooms of the private apartments, and the surrounding garden. The latter, landscaped in the Italian style<\/a>, is infused with an English Romantic spirit, adorned with small temples and faux ruins amid lush greenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Madonna<\/em>, Botticelli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you visit, prepare to encounter nearly fifty thousand objects<\/strong> – from the original holdings and later donations – almost all on display. The European, Islamic, and Japanese armories<\/strong> stand out for their extensive collection of exquisite, ancient pieces and inventive displays, including life-sized armored knights poised as if on horseback.Notable in the costume collection is the outfit worn by Napoleone at his coronation as King of Italy; meanwhile, the painting gallery includes a Madonna<\/em> by Botticelli<\/strong> and two large works by Luca Giordano<\/strong>. Engravings, tapestries, and porcelains abound, and, of course, there\u2019s the garden with its countless surprises\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n