Of all the wonderful museums in Florence, my favorite is the Bargello Museum, partially because of its history and certainly because its incredible sculptures.

Its formidable construction began in the 1255, first as a civic building, later as an horrific prison with its history of centuries of torture and executions, and finally in 1865 to the present as the sculpture museum known formally as the Museo Nazionale del Bargello.

Its three dimension art ranks among the finest on Europe. Among the masterpieces are Michelangelo’s, Bacchus , David-Apollo , Bust of Brutus  and the Pitti Tondo of Mary and Child, Donatello’s David and St. George and Bust of Niccolò da Uzzano, Giambolagna’s Architecture and Mercury, Cellini’s Bust of Cosimo I de Medici, multiple ceramic gems by members of the del Luca family, Ghiberti’s and Brunelleschi’s  bronze Sacrifice of Isaac, and hundreds of other sculptures that will enthrall you—like me— for many hours, not only on your first visit but on many more visits in future years.

Do not miss the Bargello Museum !!! It will be among your most memorable experiences in all of Florence.

By Dudley Anderson