Many patrons have contributed to the city’s rich artistic and cultural heritage. To this end, the Medici family played a fundamental role, commissioning some of the greatest artworks and ensuring their protection by leaving them in the city’s hands (speaking of, do you know about Maria Luisa dei Medici and the “Family Pact”? It might interest you!)

But there were others characters that have contributed to the city's cultural heritage. Some of them are collectors and their artworks are now in the museum that bear their name.

Do you want to discover them? 

Sculptures, paintings, weapons, furniture and ceramics from antiquity to the Renaissance and Baroque era adorn this building, a structure revamped in the 19th century in a striking neo-Gothic style.

In this museum, you’ll find a truly extraordinary collection left behind by Florentine antiquarian Stefano Bardini, a talented and astute antique dealer and art history connoisseur. Here, you’ll find works of all kinds: a fascinating collection arranged with attention care along the museum’s electric-blue walls. Among these you’ll find a curious surprise: Tacca’s Porcelino statue.

This singular museum is a sight to see, a noteworthy collection known especially for its ancient armor, weapons and costumes collection, whose rarity and size make it unlike anything else.

Once the private collection of Frederick Stibbert, an Englishman born in Florence, this house-museum presents over fifty thousand works arranged to pair each object with its original setting and the current room décor (today a reproduction of the collector’s original setup). Arab soldiers, European knights and Japanese samurai… all exhibited in a succession of truly incredible spaces, presenting characters that almost seem to come alive. 

The Salvatore Romano Foundation Museum is located inside the 14th-century refectory of the old Santo Spirito Convent. Located on the left side of the main basilica, this captivating space features a trussed ceiling and a large fresco attributed to Orcagna. 

Inside, you’ll see a collection of sculptures, architectural elements and stone pieces sourced from a wide range of places and centuries (ranging from pre-Romanesque times to the end of the 15th century). Among the most noteworthy works, you’ll find a high relief by Jacopo della Quercia, two bas reliefs attributed to Donatello and a large marble basin by Bartolomeo Ammannati.