Palazzo Vecchio
Florence, Italy
Bargello Museum, Florence
i
Photo: Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- By day, one closing day a week
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
i
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 15 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Donatello, Michelangelo, Giambologna
- Queues
- Usually shorter than the Uffizi
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Location
- Via del Proconsolo, 5 minutes from Piazza della Signoria
Key facts
1255building began on a palace for the city government
Sourcei
English Wikipedia1865the national sculpture museum opened here
Sourcei
English WikipediaDonatellohis bronze David is the museum's star
Sourcei
English Wikipedia1401Ghiberti and Brunelleschi's reliefs for the Baptistery doors contest
Sourcei
English WikipediaMichelangeloBacchus is one of his early statues
Sourcei
English WikipediaHistory of the Bargello
Work on the palace began in 1255, making it one of Florence's oldest public buildings, older than the Palazzo Vecchio. It was called the Palazzo del Popolo, the People's Palace, and housed the city government and its elected chief magistrate. From outside it looks like a fortress, with thick stone walls, battlements and a tall tower.
In the 16th century the palace became the base of the bargello, the head of the city guard, and his title gave the building the name it still has. In 1865, when Florence was briefly capital of Italy, it became the National Museum, one of the country's first.
Today it holds the world's finest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture. If the Uffizi is about painting, the Bargello is about marble and bronze: here you can see how Florentine sculptors learned, over two centuries, to capture movement and feeling.
Highlights of the Bargello
The heart of the collection is the Donatello hall on the first floor. Here stands his bronze David, a young shepherd in a laurel-wreathed hat, the calm, thoughtful hero of the Bible story. It was the first free-standing nude bronze since antiquity, and seeing it makes clear how different it is from Michelangelo's marble David. Nearby is the marble St George, the original that once stood in a niche at Orsanmichele.
In the same hall are the two bronze Sacrifice of Isaac panels by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, made for the 1401 competition for the Baptistery doors. You can compare them side by side and judge for yourself whether the jury was right to pick Ghiberti.
On the ground floor are early works by Michelangelo: the tipsy, swaying Bacchus, the round Pitti Tondo relief of the Madonna and Child, and the Brutus bust. Close by is Giambologna's graceful bronze Mercury, who seems to take off while balancing on one toe.
What to see in the Bargello
- Donatello's David — bronze, in the Donatello hall.
- Donatello's St George — the marble original.
- The 1401 competition panels — Ghiberti and Brunelleschi side by side.
- Michelangelo's Bacchus — an early marble statue.
- Giambologna's Mercury — the bronze god in flight.
- The courtyard of crests — carved arms and statues under the arches.
- Della Robbia majolica — blue and white glazed terracotta.
The courtyard and the palace rooms
The visit starts in an impressive courtyard. Its walls are covered with the carved crests of chief magistrates who governed the city over the centuries, and 16th-century marble statues stand under the arches. An open stone staircase climbs to the first floor, where a covered loggia holds Giambologna's bronze birds, once part of a fountain at a Medici villa.
Besides sculpture, the Bargello has ivories, old textiles, arms, small bronzes, medals and a large collection of blue and white glazed terracotta from the della Robbia workshop. There are also the wax and bronze models for Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus, showing how he worked out the pose of his famous statue on Piazza della Signoria.
How to get to the Bargello
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Palazzo Vecchio is about 3 min away on foot.
- Vasari Corridor is about 4 min away on foot.
- Piazza della Signoria is about 4 min away on foot.
More tips
- From Piazza della Signoria, 3 minutes on foot.
- From Florence Cathedral, 5 minutes along Via del Proconsolo.
- From Santa Maria Novella station, 15 minutes on foot.
- The entrance is at Via del Proconsolo 4.
Tickets and tips
Buy tickets on site or on the official Bargello Museums website; there's also a combined ticket with the Medici Chapels and the group's other museums. The museum has one closing day a week, so check it in advance.
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. Start in the courtyard, go up to the Donatello hall, then come back down to Michelangelo on the ground floor. Photos without flash are usually allowed. The Bargello pairs well with Santa Croce, seven minutes' walk away.
Before you go
Ready: 0 of 5Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.
You are ready for the visit
Florence's museums: compare and choose
Museums and galleries in Florence rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Palazzo Vecchio | 52 | 1 h 30 min | Courtyard free, museum paid | 3 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uffizi Gallery | 51 | 3 h | Paid | 6 min walk |
| Santa Croce | 50 | 1 h | Paid | 8 min walk |
| Palazzo Pitti | 48 | 2 h | Paid | 15 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Vasari Corridor | 45 | 1 h | Paid, timed entry | 4 min walk |
| Palazzo Medici Riccardi | 45 | 1 h | Paid | 10 min walk |
| Orsanmichele | 45 | 30 min | Free | 4 min walk |
| Laurentian Library | 44 | 30 min | Paid | 10 min walk |
| Galleria dell'Accademia | 43 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 13 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 11 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapel | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | 20 min walk |
| Bargelloyou are here | 40 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | — |
| Palazzo Strozzi | 38 | 1 h 15 min | Courtyard free, exhibitions paid | 8 min walk |
| Museo Galileo | 37 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 6 min walk |
Florence's sculpture in a day
Piazza della Signoria and the Loggia dei Lanzi, the Bargello, then Santa Croce.
- Piazza della Signoria40 min · Free
- 4 min walk from the previous stopBargelloyou are here1 h 15 min · Paid
- 8 min walk from the previous stopSanta Croce1 h · Paid
3 places · about 3 h 7 min with walks · 12 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Shorter queues than the Uffizi.
- Donatello's David is upstairs.
- Check the closing day.
- Piazza della Signoria is close by.
Questions
What is there to see in the Bargello?
Donatello's bronze David and St George, Michelangelo's Bacchus, Giambologna's Mercury and the competition panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi.
Why is it called the Bargello?
In the 16th century the palace was home to the bargello, head of the city guard, and the building took his title.
How much is entry to the Bargello?
Entry is paid; check the price on the official Bargello Museums website.
Is there a queue at the Bargello?
Usually a short one or none, unlike the Uffizi and the Accademia.
How long do you need at the Bargello?
1 to 1.5 hours.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Bargello and David (Donatello)
- Official Bargello Museums site, bargellomusei.it
Top YesGo picks: Florence
Florence Cathedral
Florence, Italy
Ponte Vecchio
Florence, Italy
Uffizi Gallery
Florence, Italy
Santa Croce
Florence, Italy
Palazzo Pitti
Florence, Italy
Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
Florence Baptistery
Florence, Italy
Basilica of San Lorenzo
Florence, Italy