Bargello National Museum

Fun Facts

• • Donatello's bronze David is a cornerstone of the collection, representing the first free-standing nude sculpture crafted in Europe since antiquity.
• • In 2006, the museum was the target of a brazen heist where thieves stole three historic jewels from a display case during standard visiting hours.
• • It is a key member of the Bargello Museums group, which coordinates cultural heritage sites like the Medici Chapels and Palazzo Davanzati.
• • Its expansive collection of ivories, many donated by the French antiquarian Louis Carrand, is widely considered one of the finest in the world.
• • Michelangelo's Bacchus is housed here, serving as a rare, early example of his work in the round created when he was just 22.
• • The Bargello holds the oldest known portrait of Dante Alighieri, which remained hidden under plaster in the Chapel of the Podestà for centuries.
• • The architecture itself is a masterpiece, featuring an imposing 13th-century courtyard and a grand gothic staircase designed by Neri di Fioravanti.
• • The building served as a prison for centuries, and its central courtyard famously hosted public executions.
• • The collection includes the Marzocco, a lion in pietra serena that has served as a symbol of the Florentine Republic for centuries.
• • The museum contains the original bronze models that Benvenuto Cellini created for his iconic Perseus statue, which stands in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
• • The museum's armoury is world-class, preserving weapons and ceremonial gear originally from the personal collections of the Medici and Urbino families.