The beautiful ‘secret’ museums of Florence
Discovering rare beauty and unique details few people talk about
Proud and fiercely loyal to their roots, Florentines often say that Florence is the most beautiful city in the world. They will quickly add: ‘We have everything here: great food, wines of every kind, warm hospitality, sunsets over the Arno and what is practically an open-air museum.’ And indeed, mention Florence abroad and faces light up, while anyone who has visited is almost always desperate to return.
Leaving romantic walks and feasts aside for a moment, let us turn to the art that has shaped Florence from the very beginning. The Uffizi was named Best Museum in the World in ‘The best 20 museums and galleries in the world’ ranking, Palazzo Pitti and Boboli are renowned worldwide, while Palazzo Strozzi continues to draw record crowds with ever more ambitious exhibitions.
Did you know Florence has nearly 100 museums, villas, galleries, historic refectories and more? Choosing what to spotlight is no easy task, but here is our curated selection of remarkable venues just off the usual tourist circuit.
We begin in the historic centre.
Museo Marino Marini
Piazza di S. Pancrazio
This is a historic deconsecrated church in the heart of Florence, in Piazza San Pancrazio, which, after many vicissitudes, underwent a modern restoration in the ’80s to adapt it for its new life as a museum. The result is a fluid route across open spaces, with staircases and walkways clearly distinguished in form and colour from the ancient architecture, that harmoniously weaves early history together with the modern, contemporary art of Marino Marini. The museum holds 183 works by the celebrated Tuscan artist (1901-1980), to whom galleries and museums across the globe have been dedicated: sculptures, paintings, drawings and engravings. Their thematic arrangement centres on the imposing sculpture ‘Gruppo equestre dell’Aja’, enhanced by natural light pouring through the grand window, echoing Marino’s own conviction that daylight was an essential element in interpreting his work. The pieces on display were donated at various times by Marino Marini and his wife Marina. The museum also regularly hosts temporary exhibitions and art workshops for families and children.
Villa Bardini
Costa S. Giorgio, 2-4
Leaving the centre behind, cross into the Oltrarno and head up Costa San Giorgio in the historic San Niccolò district. About halfway up, on the left, stands Villa Bardini, reopened to the public in 2006 after meticulous restoration.
Beyond the exhibition halls, the villa offers one of the finest panoramic views over Florence. The manicured garden, brimming with flowers and plants, makes for a delightful stroll; in spring, when the wisteria blooms, you can walk beneath the famous purple pergola filled with an intoxicating scent. Great for children too, the garden at Villa Bardini is worth the visit in its own right.
Step inside the museum spaces to discover the Museo Pietro Annigoni, dedicated to the eclectic artist who made his name in interwar Florence through drawings, paintings, engravings, frescoes and medals.
Drawn from a substantial collection preserved by the artist’s family, the display showcases Pietro Annigoni’s career, grounded in strict realism and Renaissance painting techniques. His mastery as a portraitist earned him the moniker ‘painter of queens’; his sitters included the British royal family, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Pope John XXIII.
Thanks to its splendid indoor and outdoor spaces, Villa Bardini regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, events and cultural activities.
Museo Stibbert
Via Federico Stibbert, 26
On the other side of town, in the Rifredi district, stands Museo Stibbert: a historic house museum where its founder, an avid traveller and collector, left treasures of rare beauty gathered from across the globe. Originally from Norfolk, the Stibbert family moved to Italy with Frederick’s father, Thomas Stibbert, following the Napoleonic campaigns. Born in Florence in 1838, Frederick brought together three heritage strands: British, Anglo-Indian and Italian.
A British citizen educated at Cambridge yet weary of college discipline, Thomas Stibbert remained deeply attached to his Florentine home. Today a museum, it houses more than 50,000 works, most of them on display, left by Stibbert upon his death and expanded by subsequent donations and acquisitions.
The core consists of historically priceless weaponry and armour from Japan, Europe and Islamic lands. The collection also includes paintings, porcelain, furniture and costumes.
The life-size armoured horses are unforgettable, evoking the drama of an ancient battlefield. Both the villa and the museum tour captivate with the rarity of the exhibits, not to mention the romantic English-style park surrounding it, complete with small temples, grottos, water features and a lemon house. Highly recommended for families: children will find it captivating.
Centro Pecci
Viale della Repubblica, 277
Just outside Florence, in Prato, sits the celebrated Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci: the first Italian institution built from the ground up to present, collect and document artistic research across visual and performing arts, cinema, music, architecture, design, fashion and literature. Designed by rationalist architect Italo Gamberini (and expanded in 2016 by Maurice Nio), the complex features vast, open spaces: 3,000 sq m of exhibition rooms, an archive, 60,000 volumes in the visual arts library, an auditorium-cinema, a bookshop, a restaurant, a bistro and an open-air theatre. Temporary exhibitions often merge art, architecture and design (such as Spazio Radicale and Urban Trilogy). For contemporary art lovers, Centro Pecci is well worth the visit. And well worth photographing.
