Renowned worldwide for its unparalleled artistic heritage, Florence abounds with so-called “lesser-known” museums – though that’s simply a technical label and in no way a reflection of their worth.
In this article, we’ve selected five often overlooked gems, typically absent from the usual tourist itineraries, yet brimming with unique treasures, curiosities, and personal stories. Let’s explore them together.
1. Museo Horne: a lavish Renaissance residence
When Herbert Percy Horne (1864–1916), an English architect, aesthete, and intellectual, first visited Italy at the end of the 19th century, he was enchanted. So much so that a few years later, he settled in Florence – the cradle of the Renaissance – to pursue his deep interest in the art and culture of 15th– and 16th-century Italy. (His monograph on Sandro Botticelli remains a landmark text in the field.) Around the same time, he began assembling a private art collection, and in 1911, upon acquiring Palazzo Corsi in Via de’ Benci, in the Santa Croce district, he embarked on his most ambitious project: recreating, within this 15th century palace, the home of a noble Renaissance family, complete with period furnishings and decor. While painstakingly restoring the building, Horne acquired furniture, utensils, ceramics, coins, seals, books, manuscripts, and incunabula produced in Italy between the 14th and 17th centuries. Unfortunately, he never saw his dream fully realized – he died of tuberculosis in April 1916, just two days after finalizing his will.
From that point on, per Horne’s wishes, the palace and all its contents – art objects, furniture, drawings, library, everything – passed to the Italian State.

The museum opened in 1921. Over time, its arrangement has been altered for both conservation and curatorial reasons. Highlights include the Santo Stefano by Giotto (c. 1330–1335), the Madonna col Bambino e Cristo in Pietà diptych by Simone Martini (1326–1328), and a panel by Filippino Lippi (c. 1480) titled La regina Vasti lascia il palazzo reale. There are also remarkable works by Giambologna, Dosso Dossi, and Sansovino, among others. The collection’s sumptuous furniture and extensive holdings of drawings and prints attest to Horne’s eclectic taste and extraordinary personality.

2. Museo Bardini: antiquities on display
In late-19th century Florence, a paradise for art lovers and dealers, another influential figure took center stage: Stefano Bardini (1836–1922), once known as “Il Principe degli Antiquari”. Originally trained as a painter, Bardini left the Accademia to join the Macchiaioli circle and fight for Italian unification. Upon returning to Florence, he became a pivotal figure for Italian and international collectors, public museums, archaeologists, and celebrated art historians.

In 1880, Bardini transformed the remnants of the 13th century Convent of San Gregorio alla Pace, in Piazza de’ Mozzi, into his gallery. His talent for acquiring ancient artifacts and enhancing spaces was evident. He redesigned the façade in a then-trendy neo-16th century style and cleverly repurposed altars purchased from a Pistoian church as windows. Inside, his eclectic collection was showcased in luminous, carefully designed interiors. The distinctive blue walls served to highlight each piece, elegantly spaced and never crowded.

A cultured man and savvy dealer, Bardini bequeathed his invaluable collection to the City of Florence, turning it into a Museo Civico. The 1999 restoration reinstated Bardini’s original design and colors. Even today, as you wander through rooms filled with paintings, sculptures, bronzes, and marble works, you can imagine yourself as a collector from the early 1900s. Standing before San Michele Arcangelo by Pollaiolo (c. 1460–70) or the Madonna col Bambino by Ghiberti (c. 1430), you might dream of owning them. There are also works by Donatello, including the famous Madonna dei Cordai (c. 1430), and the so called “Porcellino”, the Cinghiale made of bronze by Pietro Tacca (1620–1633), a copy of which still graces Piazza del Mercato Nuovo. According to tradition, rubbing its snout brings good luck.

3. Museo di Palazzo Davanzati: the quintessential old Florentine home
Elia Volpi (1858–1938), once Bardini’s close collaborator, became one of his fiercest competitors upon setting up his own antiquarian business. Among Volpi’s best-known enterprises was acquiring Palazzo Davanzati, a historic patrician residence on Via Porta Rossa, which he converted into a showroom and a gathering place for art enthusiasts – especially those from overseas.
In the early 20th century, wealthy Americans visiting Florence were captivated by the Antica Casa Fiorentina and eager to recreate its ambiance back home. Volpi, cunning as his name suggests, encouraged this trend by auctioning off his exclusive furniture, antiques, and art collections in New York, achieving considerable success.
Yet Palazzo Davanzati’s story extends centuries before Volpi, leaving visible traces of its 15th and 16th century inhabitants – the Davizzi, its first owners, and the Davanzati, its namesakes. Furnished with pieces from the Florentine Galleries, this unique landmark immerses visitors in the Renaissance lifestyle, introducing them to the spaces, comforts, and daily life of an upper-class Florentine family.
A visit is highly recommended!
4. Museo Stibbert: eclecticism and curiosity in the Florentine hills
A wholly different experience awaits at Museo Stibbert – a house-museum embodying the creativity of its owner, Frederick Stibbert (1838–1906). Son of an English military officer and a Florentine mother, Stibbert was educated in England but spent most of his life in Florence, dedicated to transforming his villa on Montughi Hill into a museum. He oversaw numerous expansions and renovations to accommodate his vast and varied collection of applied arts from around the globe.
Everything here reflects 19th century taste for art, history, and the exotic: from the neo-Gothic exhibition halls to the themed rooms of the private apartments, and the surrounding garden. The latter, landscaped in the Italian style, is infused with an English Romantic spirit, adorned with small temples and faux ruins amid lush greenery.

If you visit, prepare to encounter nearly fifty thousand objects – from the original holdings and later donations – almost all on display. The European, Islamic, and Japanese armories stand out for their extensive collection of exquisite, ancient pieces and inventive displays, including life-sized armored knights poised as if on horseback.Notable in the costume collection is the outfit worn by Napoleone at his coronation as King of Italy; meanwhile, the painting gallery includes a Madonna by Botticelli and two large works by Luca Giordano. Engravings, tapestries, and porcelains abound, and, of course, there’s the garden with its countless surprises…
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5. Museo di Casa Martelli: the charm of the modern bourgeoisie
Equally unique, though entirely different, is the Museo di Casa Martelli. Hidden in the heart of Florence on Via Ferdinando Zannetti, it offers a rare glimpse into the domestic life of an 18th and 19th century noble family.
The Martelli, a distinguished clan close to the Medici since the 15th century, moved into the palazzo in the 1600s. In 1738, architect Bernardino Ciurini renovated the building, imparting the distinctive look we see today – further enriched in the 19th century. Acquired by the State in 1998 and opened to the public in 2009, the palazzo still hosts the family’s original, centuries-old collection with no modern additions.

On the ground floor, the “summer apartments” welcome you with trompe-l’oeil frescoes by Gaetano Gucci and Niccolò Contestabili, transporting you into a romantic woodland (the “Sala boschereccia”) and beneath a refined pergola.
The first-floor rooms, accessible via an elegant staircase, are also decorated by late-Baroque artists. Of particular note is the small gallery featuring works by Piero di Cosimo, Domenico Beccafumi, Luca Giordano, and Salvator Rosa.
A true hidden gem within Florence’s museum landscape, Casa Martelli’s colorful salons, ballroom, and chapel preserve the intimate yet spectacular ambiance of a bygone era.
This unfortunate lesser-known museums label hardly does justice to these concentrated troves of artistic achievement. They form a precious niche reserved for the most curious connoisseurs and diligent seekers of rare and unusual wonders. If you count yourself among them, it’s time to discover these museums in person.