Antiques in an antique shop in the streets of the center of Florence
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The wonderful world of Florentine antiques

The Florence International Antiques Biennial, Luigi Bellini, museums, and today’s generations.

The figure of the antiquarian has historic origins. In the eighteenth century, it became very popular to collect works of art and centuries-old objects of great value. This passion perfectly embraces Florentine elegance and the artistic concentration to be found here, making it a cradle for dynasties of antiques dealers.

Très chic!

Florence International Antiques Biennial - BIAF

In 1953, Luigi Bellini - one of the most famous Florentine antique dealers who died recently - created the Biennale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze (Florence Antiques Biennial) – BIAF, and founded the Antiquarians Association of Italy. The biennial saw the participation of an increasing number of exhibitors, gallery owners and collectors, and today it’s considered the most important market-exhibition in the world for historic Italian art. Every two years, it brings the best of national and international antiques to Florence.

TAKE NOTE! The next Biennale will be held from September 28 to October 6, 2024, at Palazzo Corsini, Florence.

Photo credits: https://www.biaf.it/index.php?lang=it

The Collectors' Museums

A world of extraordinary artistic beauty, good taste, the exaltation of aesthetics, and not only. Antique dealers look after the great works of the city and their maintenance, such as the Bellini family after World War II who reconstructed the Santa Trinita Bridge, as well as many actions to save shops following the flood of Florence.

They contribute to raising the artistic value of the city with huge donations of works, and the instituting of foundations and museums. This is the case of Salvatore Romano, who in 1946 had the fourteenth-century Cenacle of Santo Spirito restored at his own expense and donated the current Salvatore Romano Foundation Civic Museum to Florence. There’s also the bequest of Stefano Bardini, “the prince of antiques dealers”, to the Municipality of Florence. A frequenter of the Macchiaioli circle as well as a great Tuscan exponent in the global antiquity market, the works can be found in the Stefano Bardini Civic Museum. The Universo Bardini exhibition in the 2019 edition of the BIAF was dedicated to him.

Via Maggio and today's generations

Even though today's world has changed a lot, and the figure of the collector and antique dealer has evolved also, the great Florentine dynasties of antique dealers continue their business through to today’s generations. If you pass through Florence and you want to see things that are "beautiful and valuable", the best street continues to be Via Maggio, in the Oltrarno area. At Destination Florence, you can consult the catalog of certified antique shops.