- Free 1st Sunday
Photo: Elborgo, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Museum
- Period
- Modern era, 1908
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 43°47′35″ N, 11°15′18″ E
- Address
- Via Federico Stibbert 26, 50134 Firenze
History and description
The Museo Stibbert is a museum on Via Frederick Stibbert on the hill of Montughi in Florence, Italy. It contains over 36,000 artefacts, including a vast collection of armour from Eastern and Western civilisations.
History of the family and museum
The museum was founded by Frederick Stibbert (1838–1906). His father was English and his mother Italian; he received his education in England. The Stibbert family's extreme wealth came from Frederick's grandfather, Giles Stibbert, who was the commander in chief for the British East India Company in Bengal at the end of the 18th century and ruled as governor for many years.
Frederick Stibbert inherited the entire estate from his grandfather and did not work for the rest of his life. Instead, he dedicated his life to collecting objects, antiques and artefacts, and turned his villa into a museum. When the size of the collections outgrew the villa, Stibbert hired the architect Giuseppe Poggi, the painter Gaetano Bianchi and the sculptor Passaglia to add on rooms.
When Stibbert died in 1906 his collection was given to the city of Florence and was opened to the public. Stibbert and his family are buried at the Cimitero Evangelico agli Allori, Florence.
The museum
The villa, which was once Stibbert's home, comprises 57 rooms in which his entire collection of objects from around the world is exhibited. Most of the walls are covered in leather and tapestries, and the rooms are crowded with artefacts. Paintings are displayed throughout every room, including still lifes and portraits. There is also valuable furniture, porcelain, Tuscan crucifixes, Etruscan artefacts and an outfit worn by Napoleon.
The museum contains a café and a bookshop.
The most extensive collection is around 16,000 pieces of European, Oriental, Islamic and Japanese arms and armour from the 15th century to the 19th century. The cavalcade room is a grand hall filled with fourteen figures of 16th-century knights on horseback and fourteen foot-soldiers, dressed in armour and holding weapons. The collection of Samurai armour contains over 80 suits and hundreds of swords.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Stibbert Museum».
Timeline
- 1908Founded
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Firenze StatutoTrain, nearest
700 m as the crow flies
Stibbert MuseumVia Federico Stibbert 26, 50134 Firenze
Aeroporto Firenze Amerigo Vespucci4.6 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore museums in Tuscany
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Stibbert Museum?
Stibbert Museum is in Florence, in the province of Firenze (Tuscany), Italy. Address: Via Federico Stibbert 26, 50134 Firenze. GPS coordinates: 43.79292, 11.25500.
How much does it cost to visit Stibbert Museum?
There is an admission charge. Up-to-date prices are on the official website.
How old is Stibbert Museum?
Wikidata dates it to 1908.
What else is there to see near Stibbert Museum?
Nearby you’ll find: Convento delle Suore di San Francesco (300 m away), Villa Fabbricotti (300 m away), Palazzo dei Vescovi fiorentini (400 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Museo Stibbert - 5 — Elborgo, CC BY 3.0
- Firenze - Museo Stibbert - 2026-09-16 18-33-14 001 — Albarubescens, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firenze - Museo Stibbert - Statua - 2026-09-16 18-34-00 001 — Albarubescens, CC BY-SA 4.0
- III Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Italy (2) — Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0
- III Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Italy 3 (2) — Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museo Stibbert - 1 — Elborgo, CC BY 3.0
- Museo stibbert, ext. 01 — sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museo stibbert, ext. 12.1 — sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museo stibbert, ext., bifora — sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences