8 Under-the-Radar Museums in Florence
It’s no wonder that the city known as the "Cradle of the Renaissance" is home to some of the world’s most visited museums, but you don’t have to fight through crowds to experience all of Florence’s cultural treasures. Sure, check out the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery (remembering to book your tickets in advance), but leave enough time in your schedule to explore the collections that most tourists never see.
From the finger of a genius to the shoes of the stars, Florence’s more niche museums hide plenty of gems that bear testimony to the city’s long history as a hub for art, science, and design. Here are a few that should be on your list.
1. La Specola
Look inside the human body.
Florence is home to the world’s largest and most famous wax anatomical collection: La Specola. Part of the city’s Museum of Natural History, La Specola is among the oldest public museums in Europe and home to dozens of anatomical models painstakingly rendered in wax. The complex was closed for a complete top-to-toe renovation in 2019 and is due to reopen at the end of 2023.
Don’t miss: The extensive collection of taxidermy that dates back to the Medici dynasty, featuring rarities like the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger.
2. Galileo Museum
See the finger of a genius.
Of all the surprising sights in Florence, Galileo’s mummified finger may be the most macabre. Removed from the Renaissance scientist’s body 95 years after his death, this odd relic is now on display at the Galileo Museum, surrounded by the luminary’s telescopes and other scientific instruments. Other fragments of Galileo’s body are also held by the museum, including an index finger, thumb, and tooth.
Don’t miss: The monumental sundial in the square just outside the museum’s entrance, with its whimsical lizard-viper marking noon with the shadow of its tail.
3. Leonardo da Vinci Museum
Go hands-on with da Vinci’s fanciful inventions.
Delve into the mind of a Renaissance icon in Florence’s Leonardo da Vinci Museum. Marvel at dozens of life-sized models of Leonardo’s inventions based on his original sketches, interact with multimedia exhibits to learn about his life and work, or try your hand at building the luminary’s arched bridge, dome, and polyhedra in the museum workshop.
Don’t miss: Da Vinci’s armored vehicle, the only interactive prototype of this precursor to today’s military tank in the world.
4. Gucci Garden
Trace the evolution of Italian haute couture.
Founded in Florence by Guccio Gucci in 1921, Gucci is now one of the most famous fashion labels in the world. Gucci Garden, a chic museum in the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia, boasts a permanent collection of trend-setting designs, a boutique, and the Gucci Osteria led by Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura—making it a must-see for any fashionista in Florence.
Don’t miss: Guccio Gucci’s first luggage designs, created while he was working as a porter at London’s Savoy Hotel.
5. Salvatore Ferragamo Museum
Learn about the shoemaker to the stars.
Ferragamo shoes are more works of art than footwear, so it’s easy to understand why there is an entire museum dedicated to the brand’s history and designs. Founder Salvatore Ferragamo purchased the 13th-century Palazzo Spini Feroni in the 1930s to serve as the company headquarters and workshop, and today the site displays thousands of shoes designed between 1920 and 1960, plus temporary exhibitions about the designer’s life and legacy.
Don’t miss: The collection of custom wooden shoe forms (called lasts) made for some of Hollywood’s most famous stars, including Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich.
6. Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure
Discover the intricate art of inlaid stone.
Set in the busiest corner of Florence just steps from the cathedral, the Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure is dedicated to the Florentine art of pietre dure, a technique of using tiny pieces of semi-precious stones to create painting-like images. This often-overlooked museum showcases inlaid tabletops, cabinet doors, and even a massive fireplace face, and is an ideal destination for any lover of alternative arts.
Don’t miss: The Stone Flowers section of the museum, which is dedicated to 17th- and 18th-century floral motifs—some so intricate that it’s hard to believe that they are made of stone.
7. Museo Novecento
Go beyond the Renaissance at this museum of modern art.
Uncover Florence’s collection of 20th- and 21st-century Italian art at the little-known Museo Novecento. After Florence’s devastating flood in 1966, several artists donated more than 400 works to the city: these paintings, sculptures, photography, and other media make up the heart of the Museo Novecento collection and include works by De Chirico, Severini, Morandi, and other leading Italian artists from the past century.
Don’t miss: The museum’s outdoor loggia, decorated with lunette reliefs by Andrea della Robbia, which hark back to the building’s former life as a 16th-century hospital.
8. Horne Museum
Experience how nobility lived during the Renaissance.
Curated by Herbert Percy Horne, an English antiquarian, the Horne Museum collection includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, furnishings, and fabrics from the 14th to 16th centuries, unearthed in the city’s markets over decades. A stroll around the museum offers a rare glimpse of what an aristocratic Florentine home would have looked like back when the Medicis ruled the city and Michelangelo called it home.
Don’t miss: Masterpieces like Giotto’s St. Stephen, the Pietà of Christ by Filippo Lippi, and a triptych by Pietro Lorenzetti.
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