Florence Museums
Visit Some of the Most Famous Museums in Italy and the World

The city of Florence has been described by many as a museum in itself, with its many majestic building, bridges, churches, and statues. You will feel like you are moving through a formal museum as you stroll through the streets. Florence is also the home of some of the most famous and splendid museums in the world and you really must take time out to visit at least two or three of them while you are there.


The Uffizi Gallery is the greatest museum in Italy and one of the most famous in the world. The museum contains the most important masterpieces by Italian and foreign artists from the 13th to the 18th century in the world. The Gallery is situated in the heart of Florence and was set up by the Medici family to be used as offices for the family business. But, from the beginning the Medici family set aside certain rooms to house the finest works of art and so it remains to this day. The Gallery houses famous works by such as Michelangleo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrant, Giotto, Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Rubens, Goya, Cimabue, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Durer, Piero della Francesca, along with many others. This museum in open every day except Mondays.

The Vasari Corridor connects the Uffizi Gallery with the Pitti Palace and has a rich collection of self portraits by past and present artists. It was built in 1565 by Vasari and passes over the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in the city.

The Casa di Dante or Dante's Museum is full of works by the famous Dante. He was a native of Florence and this collection contains documents, manuscripts, and drawings that relate to the great writer and artist. This museum is usually open every day except Tuesdays.

The Accademie Gallery is the National Museum of Florence and is one of the best known museum in Florence. This museum is in a beautiful old building dating from the mid 13th century. It mainly has sculptures with many of the works of art being displayed in the courtyard. These are the best of the Tuscany Renaissance with masterpieces by Michelangelo, Cellini, Brunelleschi, Donatello, and others. The wonderful statue of David, which was sculptured from a single piece of marble by Michelangelo, is one of the stunning pieces of art displayed here. The museum is usually open every day but there are times it is closed on Mondays.



The National Museum Il Bargello was initially the residence of the Bargello or head of the police spies, which is how it got its name. It is located in one of the oldest buildings in Florence and one of the most beautiful in Italy. The Bargello also contains masterpieces of the Tuscan Renaissance such as Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Cellini, Giambologna and Donatello. Along with the sculptures there are priceless ivories, enamels, jewels, tapestries and weapons.

The Museum of San Marco is worth visiting for the architecture alone. This museum consists of a former Dominican convent that has been restored and enlarged to its present size. The museum offer visitors a look at a perfectly preserved fifteenth century convent. It also contains the works of Fra' Angelico in the form of frescoed interiors and on the panels displayed there. It also has a very beautiful Last Supper frescoed by Ghirlandaio and in its public library of the Renaissance there is a fine series of illuminated manuscripts.

The Museum of the Cathedral houses artworks from the Gothic Cathedral, the Baptisty and the Tower of Giotto. Of these the most important works are by Michelangelo, Donatello, Arnolfo di Cambio, and Luca della Robbia.

The Museum of the History of the Science offers proof that Florence's interest in science was as great as its interest in art. The museum has carefully arranged a precious and visually beautiful collection of scientific instruments along with paintings that once belonged to the Medici and Lorraine families. The museum also has the original scientific instruments used by Galileo Galilei.

It is strongly recommended that you make reservations to enter the Florence Museums. This will allow you to enter through other doors and will save you the wait in long lines that sometimes take an hour or more before you can enter the museums if you do not have a reservation number.



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