Florence
Museum opening hours (in alphabetical order)
(updated Jan 2011)
| Name | Description | Opening hours |
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| Galleria dell’Accademia | Home to the David, but also to Michelangelo’s Slaves, who are lined up in a row leading to David in his niche as if to say “oh look, finally, he finished something”. Don’t ignore the rest of the collection, especially early works on panel. | Via Ricasoli 58-60 Daily 8,15 – 18,50 Closed monday NEW online booking site (official). |
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| Museo Archaeologico | A really neglected museum, with some world treasures but so terribly displayed that you could miss them. Dusty, with half the rooms closed most of the time, and seemingly under rennovation. Nontheless, contains a really important Etruscan collection, including a bronze chimera you just HAVE to see. Also some important greek pots.
Read: 10 reasons to go to the museo Archaeologico di Firenze |
Via della Colonna 38 Tel. 055 23575 Mon: 14 – 19 Tues + Th: 8.30 – 19 W, F, sat: 8.30 – 14. Sun + hol: 8.30 – 14. € 4,00 |
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| Bargello Website |
This sculpture museum is housed in the building created for the first Florentine Republic. Don’t miss works by Donatello and Ghiberti, as well as a series of really neat bronze birds in the first floor loggia.
Read: Top 5 things to see in the Bargello sculpture museum. |
Via del Proconsolo 4 Open daily, 8.15-13.50 (closed 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday, and 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, New Year’s Day, May 1st and Christmas Day) |
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| Casa Buonarrotti (Michelangelo Museum) | A rotating collection of Michelangelo drawings is on display. Also, two of his very early relief sculptures – the Madonna of the Stairs and the Battle. | Via Ghibellina 70 9.30-14, closed tuesday € 6,50 |
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| Horne Museum |
Private collection of a 19th-century American set up in a pseudo-renaissance manner. Useful because, although it contains no particularly important pieces, the collection mixes decorative arts (furniture, cassoni, spalliere, small sculpture and maiolica) with paintings hung on the wall. Good for children to get an idea of early modern european domestic life. | daily 9-13, closed sunday and holidays, 5 euro |
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| La Specola (Museo di Zoologia La Specola) | Really gory and fascinating museum containing, of most note, a teaching collection of wax bodies and body parts. Most interesting is a wax figure of a reclining woman, whose abdomen has been opened to expose her viscerae, but otherwise she has porcellain fine skin, long hair, a pearl necklace, and is lounging in a sexy, relaxed pose. This and similar figures are important demonstrations of the cross between medicine and art, the influence of subjective elements in scientific representation best exemplified by the printed anatomy of Vesalius. Not for the faint of heart, but great for older kids if they’re not easily grossed out. Censure note: contains wax figures of fetuses in the womb – ie not ok for young kids! | via romana 17 daily 9-13, closed wed 4 euro |
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| Museo Firenze com’era |
Topographical museum containing maps and a series of painted lunettes with views of the medici villas. | Via dell’Oriolo 24 daily 9-14 € 2,70 |
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| Museo Marino marini |
Contains many works by the Florentine 20th century artist of the same name. | 10-17 |
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| Museo Stibbert |
This is the city’s armour museum, a private collection housed in a villa in a residential area. There is also a pleasant park (open during daylight hours) frequented by locals, where you could picnic. | via stibbert 26 M, T, W 10-14 Fri + Sat 10-18 Sun 10-18 Closed thursday 5 euro |
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| Museum of the History of Science – now called Museo Galileo |
The star of this collection is Galileo’s middle finger, treated like a relic. Also an impressive collection of early scientific instruments, including telescopes, microscopes and guaging compasses. | piazza dei giudici 1
9.30-18; tuesday closes at ore 13 Open on Mondays! |
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| Opera del Duomo (Museo del)official website | This museum was recently rennovated in order to display a greater percentage of their collection. It houses treasures that were made for the Duomo complex but have been removed either historically or for conservation. Outdoor sculpture from the Campanile by the school of Andrea Pisano and the Donatello sculptures made for the Duomo facade are housed here. One of the greatest treasures is the pair of so-called Cantorie. | M-Sat 9,00 – 19,30 Sun: 9,00 – 13,406 euros admission |
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| Opificio delle Pietre Dure |
This museum houses marble inlay works. | Via degli Alfani 78 Entry times daily 9 – 9.15 / 10.45 – 11 / 12.30 – 12.45; Thursday: 14 – 14.15 / 15.45 – 16 / 17.30 – 17.45. |
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| Ospedale degli Innocenti Gallery |
Works related to this charitable institution, a foundling hospital opened in 1455. READ: the history of the Ospedale degli Innocenti |
Pza SS.ma Annunziata Daily 8.30 – 14, the museum costs € 2,60 |
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| Palazzo Pitti Palatine Picture Gallery |
Wall to wall paintings in a historical arrangement that tells us more about the history of collections that the history of art per se. Contains some important masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio… | Open daily, 8.15-18.50 (closed Monday) |
| Palazzo Pitti Costume Gallery Website |
Rotating exhibit of costume from Renaissance to Modern. Good for teenaged girls interested in fashion — but not only! | Open T, W, Th, F: 8.15 – 13.50 Monday 2+4 of month Sunday 1, 3 and 5 of the month! 5 euro |
| Palazzo Pitti Modern Art Gallery |
By “modern art” they don’t mean anything so recent – we’re talking 18th-20th century Tuscan art. Frankly, I’ve never been there. | Same as costume gallery, and cumulative ticket |
| Palazzo Pitti Silver Museum |
An odd collection of vases and decorative art made not only of silver but also of other precious materials. | 8.15-16.30 with very complicated variations, see website |
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| Uffizi Gallery | Read: Highlights of the Uffizi (or how to get through this museum without getting exhausted).
The world-famous collection of this museum needs no introduction. While the main attraction for many tourists is the Botticelli room, be sure to linger in the earlier rooms and learn to love Giotto and Lorenzo Monaco as well. Further information contained under “travpod” and separate articles. |
Tuesday to Sunday 8,15-18,50 Closed MONDAY!!!
It’s advisable to book in advance by phoning Firenze Musei, Tel: +39 055294883. |
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| Museo del Calcio (soccer) | Historical and cultural displays about soccer, as well as multimedia features, films etc.The museum is located in the residential area of Coverciano, where the training ground for the National Soccer League is located. The #17 bus ends practically in front of the museum. | v.le Aldo Palazzeschi, 20 – 50135 Coverciano-Firenze Tel.: 055 60.05.26. At end of bus line #173E entry, kids under 13 free M-F, 9-13 and 13.20-18.30, sat 9-13. Closed August. |
ArtTrav is a blog about expat life, art, and travel in Italy and Europe. I am Alexandra Korey, a Florence-based art historian turned blogger.
My goal is to help travelers and residents like you experience countries through culture and local living. If it takes geeky, long articles to do that, so be it! 
