The Bargello: Another "Must See" Museum in Florence

As I prepared for my trip to Florence, I made a short list of "must see" places. I also left a lot of free time for simply exploring and following the whims of each day. This proved to be a highly profitable strategy, giving me the opportunity to see an impressive M.C Escher retrospective and attend some Liberation Day events. 

The Bargello, however, was definitely on my short list of places I fully aimed to see. It did not disappoint. 

For those unfamiliar, the Bargello is a sculpture museum. It houses a stunning collection of sculptures from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including works by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Cellini. The museum is also housed in a beautiful building, the Palazzo del Bargello, which was once a prison and fortress.

As I entered the first room I was confronted by the statue of Mercury (above) and my first thought: "So this is where the idea for the Mercury dime came from." Indeed much of what we see in our own Capitol was inspired or influenced by Renaissance art and architecture. Here are some of the photos I took from my visit there.

Michelangelo's "Bacchus"--wine goblet in hand, a crown of grapes.

Another Michelangelo piece: Brutus  

I took this photo to show the thread patterns in his robe.

Verrocchio's bronze interpretation of David slaying Goliath. Some say
David here was modeled after the artist's pupil, Leonardo da Vinci.

In addition to Verrocchio's David, there is a bronze David by Donatello

which you can read about here. 

Related: Check out these links to my
other stories from my Italy adventure.