The brainchild of Frederick Stibbert (1838–1906), this is a rare example of a 19th-century museum with atmospheric settings designed to evoke the period and the places where the works came from, and the renovation of the villa was entrusted to eminent architects and decorators.
Spread over 60 rooms, the collections include weapons, armour, costumes, furniture and the applied arts, tapestries and paintings from the 16th–19th centuries. Particularly impressive is the Sala della Cavalcata, where life-sized knightly mannequins dressed in European and Oriental armour stand in serried ranks.
The Japanese Section consists of weapons and armour, bronzes, costumes and lacquer objects, and is one of the most important collections outside Japan. The park surrounding the villa, which is dotted with pavilions, statues, fake ruins and even a small Egyptian temple, is a reflection of Stibbert’s fondness for the Romantic taste that was so typical of his age.
A museum that children will love! In one of the rooms of the museum it will be possible to wear the reproduction of a pair of helmets and a surplice to understand the weight that the knights carried on themselves
Museo Stibbert
Via Federico Stibbert, 26, 50134 Firenze FI, Italia
People in wheelchairs can access the museum and the villa from Via Montughi n. 4, continuing along via Stibbert (where the main entrance is). It is possible to arrive by car and park at the entrance of the museum, after having informed the staff by phone. The ticket office, the cafeteria and the toilets are completely accessible, as well as some of the rooms on the ground and first floor. The last floor can be reached with an elevator.
Other rooms have difficult access: 8 steps from the ‘Sala Islamica’ to the ‘Cavalcata’ and 6+4 steps from the ‘Cavalcata’ to the ‘Condottiero’ rooms. Because of a spiral staircase, the Japanese Armoury is not accessible.
The garden is only partially accessible from n° 26, via Stibbert, due to uneven ground and gravel surface.
