Bargello National Museum, Art museum in Gothic palace, Florence, Italy
The Bargello National Museum is a gray stone palace with a central courtyard and a tall cylindrical tower in Florence. The outer walls show small Gothic windows, while inside the building displays a collection of sculptures and artworks from the Renaissance period.
Construction began in 1255 as the city's first town hall, before the building later became police headquarters and a prison. After Florence was declared capital of Italy, the palace opened as a museum in 1865.
The museum exhibits masterpieces by Renaissance sculptors including Donatello's bronze David, Michelangelo's Bacchus, and works by Cellini and Giambologna.
Exhibition rooms spread across several floors, and the courtyard offers a pause between the galleries. Access is suitable for wheelchair users, though some older areas have narrow passages.
The courtyard walls display a collection of 14th-century coats of arms and emblems from families and guilds that once held power in the city. These stone reliefs remain in their original positions and document the social order of medieval Florence.
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