Bargello National Museum
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
A sculpture museum in a former medieval fortress-style prison, housing Donatello's David and early works by Michelangelo.
Built in 1255, it once served as the police headquarters and a prison. In 1865 it became Italy's first national museum. Its collection includes Donatello's bronze David (the first freestanding nude sculpture of the Renaissance), Michelangelo's Bacchus, works by Cellini, and the original relief panels submitted by Brunelleschi and Ghiberti in the competition for the Baptistery doors. Admission is about €10, and it draws far fewer visitors than the Uffizi. It stands between the Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce, a few minutes' walk from each.
Opening hours
08:15–18:50; closed Tuesdays
Nearby sights
- Palazzo Vecchio
- Piazza della Signoria
- Florence Cathedral (Duomo)
- Museo Galileo
- Uffizi Gallery
- Giotto's Campanile
- Basilica of Santa Croce
- Ponte Vecchio