Archaeological Museum

The Collections

To gain an understanding of Italian history, it is essential to spend a little time admiring the Roman collection. One of the main highlights of the collection is the 146cm high bronze statue that is known as idolino of Pesaro, while the torso di Livorno is a copy of the Greek original that hails from the 5th century BC Greek original. There are also plenty of treasures to be admired in the Greek collection, which boasts a huge number or ancient ceramics such as the celebrated Vase François and the Apollini Milani, while the red figure hydria dates back to 550–540 BC.

The Museum

The National Archaeological Museum of Florence can be found at 1 piazza Santissima Annunziata and commands a prominent position in the Palazzo della Crocetta. This magnificent palace was built in 1620 for princess Maria Maddalena de' Medici, who was the daughter of Ferdinand I de Medici. The Archaeological Museum was inaugurated in 1870 under the watchful eye of king Victor Emmanuel II and was originally found in the buildings of the Cenacolo di Fuligno located on via Faenza. In its early days, the museum was used solely to house a number of Etruscan and Roman remains. However, the collections grew quickly, making it necessary to transfer the museum to its current location in 1880.

The first collections to grace the museum were donated by the prominent Medici and Lorraine collections, with several pieces being transferred from the Uffizi. The now famous Egyptian section was put together in the first half of the 18th century, with many of the items that now grace the collection coming from the extensive collections of Pierre Léopold de Toscane as well as from a special excursion to Egypt that the Duke funded. A new topographic collection that focused on the Etruscans was added to the museum in 1887, although this once celebrated collection was unfortunately destroyed by the floods that swept through much of Florence in 1966. The museum still remains a highlight for many visitors to the city of Florence, and it can be reached easily from the main historic centre on foot.