Private Bargello Museum Tour: A Hidden Gem in Florence

Visiting the Bargello Museum is a journey back in time, with many depths and layers to be unveiled

The Bargello is an imposing fortress-like structure built in the 13th century, the first civic institution and expression of communal power in Florence. Designed initially as the seat of the administrative figure of the Capitano del Popolo, it was then changed to become the seat of the Podestà (similar to a mayor). The podestà’s role was to act as a balance in power while Florence was struck by internal conflict between the Guelfs and Ghibellins.

Their role lost value in 1530, following the fall of the Florentine Republic, when the government was seized by the Medici. The building became occupied by the ‘Bargello’, head of police, and thus transformed into a prison, witnessing generations of trials and executions.

The Bargello was rediscovered due to the curiosity of the Grand Tour’s refined travelers and, in 1865, established as Italy’s first National Museum. Ever since, it has housed one of Italy’s finest collections of Renaissance sculpture and decorative arts.

The history is only one piece of what makes the Bargello a must-see during your visit to Florence

This is a museum for those of fine taste, a hidden gem in Florence that, even during peak tourist season, is easy to visit. The Bargello is to Florentine sculpture what the Uffizi is to Florence’s painting. In fact, many works were formerly part of the Uffizi Gallery Collection. The history of 1800’s collectionism is conveyed through the assemblage of decorative arts thanks to the distinctive donations of Carrand and Franchetti, filling the museum with an eclectic variety of unique treasures.

This private, guided museum visit takes you on a journey through Renaissance sculture, from its early stages to the Mannerist phase, across the building’s two floors. On the first floor the 1400’s statuary masterpieces by Donatello and Verrocchio demonstrate their different interpretations of Florence’s most important symbol, the David, far from Michelangelo’s, as seen at the Accademia Gallery. The ground floor is enriched with high Renaissance 1500’s notable works, including Michelangelo's 'Bacchus' Cellini's basement of 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa', Donatello's 'St. George Tabernacle' and masterpieces of Giambologna. The museum also has a collection of decorative arts, including ceramics, textiles, and metalwork. The Bargello Palace itself is an architectural masterpiece, with a beautiful courtyard and several stunning halls and galleries.

Dante Alighieri's oldest portrait at the Bargello

The Bargello is also associated with the figure of Dante Alighieri as can be witnessed in the Magdalene Chapel built around 1280. Located on the first floor of the ancient civic building, the environment served as a holding space, where those convicted of serious crimes spent their final hours and awaited execution. The walls of the chapel were decorated with frescoes by painter Giotto around 1322–1337, featuring representations of Heaven and Hell, in close relationship with Dante Alighieri’s dimensions illustrated in his Divine Comedy.

The cycle of frescoes was rediscovered under a coat of whitewash around 1850 during the renovation of the building, when Dante’s figure as the father of the Italian language was renovated under the impulse of Italy’s unification and the years of Florence Capital of Italy, between 1865-71. It is at this time that a portrait of Dante was discovered on the right side of Heaven and immediately attributed to Giotto, the writer and painter lived in the same time period and were very close friends.

After the visit, the tour continues with a stroll along the Florentine streets, between the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio.

About the Bargello Museum Tour

The unforgettable journey:

• Travel through Renaissance sculpture with Donatello, Michelangelo, Cellini and Giambologna.
• Discover one of Dante Alighieri’s oldest portraits.
• Learn about the ‘shaming portraits’ (pittura d’infamia) of Florence’s traitors.
• Explore illustrious personalities like Machiavelli once imprisoned here.
• Learn about Tuscany being the first to abolish the death penalty, in 1786.