Il Bargello
Like a lot of buildings in Florence, The Bargello can be deceiving. The interior seems much larger than the outside lets on and because of its fortress construction, it’s very easy to think that the rooms inside this building will be dark and dank. Not so.
This stone fortress is the oldest public building in Florence, built for the Capitano del Popolo in the mid-13th century, which later became the seat of the Podestà (the city magistrate) and Council of Justice. The building also served as a prison where many people served out their sentences living in squallor and filth behind its fortress doors and executions were continually held in the courtyard, at least until they were abolished by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1786. The courtyard is now a quiet and peaceful place, one that belies, mercifully, its cruel history.
The Bargello probably served as a model for Il Palazzo Vecchio which was built during the very early Renaissance.
In 1865 the building became Il Museo Nazionale del Bargello, displaying the largest Italian collection of Gothic and Renaissance sculptures from the 14 – 17th centuries. In this museum you will find Donatello’s most famous works, his youthful David and the Saint George Tabernacle, some of Michelangelo’s smaller sculptures, and the terra cotta work of the Della Robbias.
This museum has always been a quiet and cool respite from the throngs of people meandering through the corridors of the Uffizi and the rising heat of a late Florentine morning. It’s one of those places where you might wonder if stones could talk.
Painting:The Bargello
The Bargello
Via del Proconsolo 4, 50122 Firenze
Visiting Hours: Monday to Sunday 8:15 – 13:30
Closed: 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday and the 2nd, 4th Monday of each month; New Year’s
Day, May 1st, Christmas Day.
Tickets: Full price: € 4,00; Reduced: € 2,00
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