The Bargello and Museo del Bargello, Florence


	The Bargello and Museo del Bargello This austere fortress, begun in 1255, served as the official residence of the first governors before becoming the police headquarters and prison, or bargello. Contrasting with the impregnable, nearly windowless façade and tower is the light-filled courtyard with its colorful coats-of-arms of the neighborhoods and governors. The fortress today houses the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, with its important collection of Florentine Renaissance sculpture. The first-floor exhibition room next to the entrance contains sculpture from the 16th century, including the original pedestal bronzes from Cellini's Perseus, studies from the school of Michelangelo, as well as a few of the master's own works. In the second-floor exhibition hall to the right you find the museum's masterpiece, Donatello's David (1430), not only the first life-size nude sculpture since antiquity, but also a sensuously naked one, jauntily youthful and alive. There are other fine Donatellos here showing the diverse styles of his work, such as the classic repose of his St. George. On the right wall are the famous competition panels (1402) for the Baptistery doors by Brunelleschi and Ghiberti. Address: Via del Proconsolo 4 Florence Italy Telephone: +39 (55) 21-08-01