Free Museums for the Dec. 5 ‘Domenica Metropolitana’

The interior of the basilica of Santa Maria Novella, accessible to Florence residents for free on Sunday, December 5

Thanks to the return of the “Domenica Metropolitana” initiative, residents in and around Florence will have free admission to civic museums; this includes 41 towns and cities of greater Florence metropolitan area.  Guests can visit these sites on Sunday, December 5 if a reservation is made beforehand, which must be done by December 4 as the telephone (055 2768224) and email service (info@musefirenze.it) are not available on Sunday. More information on each museum site and their tours can be found on Muse Firenze’s website. 

Palazzo Vecchio Museum

Florence’s historic city hall and the famed residence of the Medici family can be visited to explore the life of its most well known members and the architecture of the place they lived in. Many tours will be held and take place at different times, designed to appeal to different demographics. 

Museo Novecento

Visitors can see works that encompass the many styles of 20th century art in Museo Novecento. Guests can find classic pieces, an art workshop, and an exhibition by the contemporary English artist Jenny Saville. 

Santa Maria Novella

Major artists from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance have their works all throughout the complex of Santa Maria Novella for guests to appreciate. In addition, a tour focused on Dante Alighieri will also take place, so visitors can learn more about his life and work. 

Le Murate

Guests can learn about the backstory of the Murate Complex and the extensive use that it saw since its construction, ranging from its original purpose as a convent for nuns, its transformation into a prison and then into a space to display art and media. 

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

Another site with heavy ties to the Medici is the Medici Riccardi Palace. Tours will take visitors from the main courtyard, to the chapel lined by frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and then to the Galleria degli Specchi.

Auschwitz Memorial

The Italian Auschwitz Memorial is a contemporary exhibition site in a former Florence art gallery, designed to help guests remember the deportation of many people to the infamous Nazi concentration camp during World War II. With the help of Aned (The National Association of Former Deportees to the Nazi Camps), this site was repurposed to perpetuate the memory may serve to help the tragedy from happening again.  (nelson matos)