The Bargello Sculpture Museum

The Bargello Sculpture Museum in Florence, is the treasure-trove of Italian Renaissance sculpture hosting great artworks by Verrocchio, Donatello, Michelangelo, Giambologna and other important masters. It is an uncrowded museum and a pleasant break from the more packed places of Florence. This threatening castle was built in the 13th century as the headquarters of the city governors and the police chief and used for centuries as a prison. Some executions were carried out in this forbidding place: beheadings in the courtyard and hangings from the windows. Today it is regarded as Italy’s foremost collection of Renaissance sculpture.

Several celebrated works are displayed in the palace: the so-called Pitti Tondo, the Brutus or the Drunken Bacchus by young Michelangelo, two famous Davids by Verrocchio and Donatello, glazed and painted “terracottas” by Della Robbia family, just to name a few. Sculpture was the perfect medium to express Renaissance humanism and the civic importance of the man since it showed the human form only, independent of church or state.

In the 1400s the Renaissance was blooming in Florence and there was an optimistic spirit of democracy that reformulated the way of life of everyday people. A new class of wealthy merchants appeared, society changed and artworks were also commissioned for personal enjoyment. That’s why many famous works of art were commissioned by rich citizens for a private use.

Touring the Bargello Sculpture Museum with a private guide will reveal who were the wealthy Florentines who promoted this cultural trend. A visit to the Bargello Sculpture Museum in Florence also allows you to see precious jewelry, ivories, medallions, armors, and dinnerware.

If you like sculpture and want to avoid crowded places and long lines, the Bargello Sculpture Museum in Florence is a must.