blithespirit

On the Internet I found sites describing a most fascinating display of European, Middle-Eastern and Asian arms and armament at the Stibbert Museum (located on the outskirts of Florence northeast of the main train station.) There are supposedly over 50,000 pieces in the collection including suits of armor (samurai,too)and weaponry - some re-created scenes show mounted knights - all collected by this aristocratic Englishman Frederick Stibbert in the late 1800s. Sounds like a must-see for my sons who will be desparate to see something different after 3 or 4 art museums. I've not found mention of it in the usual travel books and wondered if any readers had actually visited the place. Worth a visit?

ira

Hi blithe,

For you and the kids I think it is worth a visit. My wife didn't think she would care for it, so we skipped it.

welltraveledbrit

Of course I can't find the issue now and I'm not sure whether it was Travel andLeisure on Conde Nast Traveler but one or other of them had an article on smaller less visited museums in Italy and there was a long discussion of the Stibbert Museum.

If you check their websites travelandleisure.com & concierge.com and search for Stibbert you should get some more pointers.

ira

Hi,
It was CN Traveler

Palis

The Stibbert Museum is awesome and is included in Fodor's "Florence's 25 Best" ,as well it deserves, but using words such as "wonderfully bizarre" and "eccentric collect" does not encourage the general public to make the extra effort to visit this spectacular villa. It is on the outskirts of Florence, a short bus ride from the historic center. From the stop, there is a bit of a climb to the museum but the area is beautiful and quiet and the museum is well worth it. It is so much more than a weapons museum and I would encourage everyone to visit. Each room is beautifully decorated - stain glass, Venetian chandeliers and mirrors, art work, porcelain, furniture, frescoes, tiles, etc. You are allowed a one hour, accompanied viewing since all the displays are very accessible. We went twice during our stay in Florence and I would say that it was my favorite unexpected find. Unfortunately, it is a very under appreciated gem, not often frequented by tourists or locals. It is a truly fascinating place on many levels and worth your time.

nochblad

This is one of Florence's lesser known museums and quite unusual. It is certainly worthwhile if you have children who are getting bored with all the art, churches, shoe and jewellry shopping. In other words it is good for a trade off with them although you might be pleasantly surprised yourself.

julia1

I've been there. It's a lovely small museum and well worth the visit. There is an interesting garden surrounding the villa also.

zeppole

In general, both you and the kids might get a richer experience of being in historic Florence and its "wow" art if you stick to the real-deal churches, bapistery and chapels with eye-popping art rather than go into the warehouse museums.

The Magi Chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi is probably a much more engaging experience of Florentine art than most of what can be experienced in the crowded museums.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi_Chapel

Likewise, the historic monastery of Savanarola, filled with tiny monk's cells painted with icons by Fra Angelico is a much more atmospheric way to discover the meaning of religious art to the Florentines than going to a museum. (It's now called the Museo San Marco.)

The mosaic ceiling inside of the Bapistery of the Duomo is a "wow" -- along with the doors outside.

Florence was a tremendous commercial center, so I think spending time marching around its markets, inside and out, is not wasted time.

I have a huge interest in Italian painting and sculpture, and I could not tolerate visiting 3 or 4 of Florence's big museums in a row or within a few days of each other. I'd rather pick out some gems and otherwise enjoy the town.