The Accademia Gallery and the Bargello Museums become a unique cultural center

All the new features for 2026: visit seven Florentine museums with a single ticket and innovative themed itineraries

The Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, the Museo delle Cappelle Medicee, the Museo di Palazzo Davanzati, the Orsanmichele Complex, the Museo di Casa Martelli, and, once renovations are complete, the former church of San Procolo: seven sites, seven stories, a single cultural identity, which, under the guidance of the new director Andreina Contessa, are entering a new season.

A journey through the city, a symbolic map that connects different realities, tells stories of relationships, directions, and correspondences, and interprets the territory through its heritage.

The internal reorganization includes major interventions and innovations already underway: restoration and reinstallation projects; the definition of a new strategy through the creation of thematic itineraries, unified tickets and opening hours, and an increasing focus on the visitor, from the youngest audiences to special-interest groups, with the goal of enhancing the identity of each museum and strengthening the dialogue between the collections. Below are the most significant updates.

Unified Ticket and Opening Hours

The first major innovation concerns the creation of two cumulative tickets that, starting March 15, 2026, will allow visitors to access all the museums in the group with a single ticket valid for 72 hours, at a cost of €38. For €26, within 48 hours, it will be possible to visit the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello. A family ticket is also under consideration, designed to make museum visits easier for families and encourage shared enjoyment of the cultural heritage.

Individual museum tickets will undergo minor changes starting February 1 and can be purchased through the reservation center at +39 055 294883 or via the B-Ticket online ticketing system on the official websites: HERE and HERE.

And farewell to staggered opening hours: from March 15, Tuesday through Sunday, all museums will be open from 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. (with the exception of Casa Martelli, whose opening hours will depend on the progress of ongoing restoration works).

Experiential Itineraries

Three new transversal thematic itineraries, developed by the scientific team of the museum system, will connect works and locations across different sites, offering the public a comprehensive and innovative perspective on the cultural heritage. The implementation of these itineraries will begin in May 2026, following a training program designed for the staff—particularly the art historians of the various museums—who will work in close collaboration with the institution’s different departments.

The first itinerary is IN THE SIGN OF GENIUS. Michelangelo and the Technical, Iconographic, Symbolic, and Poetic Innovations of His Works. Structured in three stages, the project explores the life and work of Michelangelo Buonarroti through some of his most celebrated Florentine masterpieces: from the youthful Bacchus to the Tondo Pitti, from the David-Apollo to the idealized portrait of Brutus at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, up to the famous David, the Prisoners, San Matteo, and the Pietà of Palestrina at the Galleria dell’Accademia. The itinerary concludes at the Cappelle Medicee, in the Sagrestia Nuova of San Lorenzo, where Michelangelo merges sculpture and architecture in the funerary monuments of Giuliano and Lorenzo de’ Medici, animated by the allegories of Day, Night, Dawn, and Dusk, offering a profound reflection on time and the transience of life.

The second itinerary, FLORENCE AND ITS SYMBOLS. The city’s visual identity is explored through heraldry, civic religion, allegorical figures, and heroes of classical mythology and sacred history. This journey unfolds from the Orsanmichele Complex to the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, and on to the Galleria dell’Accademia. It offers a new perspective on works of art as instruments for narrating civic identity, in relation to the places and symbols that have helped shape Florence’s collective imagination.

The final itinerary of this first cycle is THE ART OF DETAIL. A journey to discover objects, clothing, textiles, and accessories—both real and depicted—within the collections of the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Bargello Museums. Spanning four locations, from the Galleria and Bargello to the treasures of Palazzo Davanzati and Casa Martelli, this itinerary is dedicated to the history of dress as an expression of culture, exchange, and identity. It guides visitors through different eras and artistic languages, from the Middle Ages to the modern age, juxtaposing artworks and artifacts, fabrics, embroidery, and ornaments preserved in the collections.

New Projects

The large coat of arms featuring a golden griffin on a red field, symbol of the Florentine Martelli family, has returned to tower above the top of the monumental staircase at Casa Martelli. From 1998—when the residence officially became part of Italy’s network of state museums—until autumn 2024, it had been displayed in the Salone di Donatello at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello. Measuring 1.93 meters in height, 77 centimeters in width, and weighing 420 kilograms, the coat of arms was originally created for the façade of one of the palaces on Via degli Spadai (today Via Martelli), where the main branch of the family had lived since the late 14th century. Historically, it has been attributed to Donatello during his later years, though recent studies suggest it may have been the work of Desiderio da Settignano.

In 2026, the Museo Nazionale del Bargello will undergo a major project to renovate and rethink its entrance, including a series of reinstallation works affecting the entire entrance area, the ticket office, the courtyard, and the adjacent Sala di Michelangelo. The plan of activities at the Bargello, beyond the restoration and new installation of the Sala di Michelangelo, includes interventions in the Verone, loggia, courtyard, and external staircase, the renovation of the ticket office, and upgrades to lighting and climate-control systems.

The Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence will also see a series of restoration projects on works in its collection. Some interventions are already underway: the restoration of four painted panels—Madonna with Child, Four Angels and Saints by Spinello Aretino (completion expected February 19, 2026), the San Pancrazio Diptych by Bernardo Daddi (February/March 2026), Madonna with Child among Saints Anthony Abbot, Peter, Julian and John the Baptist by the Master of 1416 (April 2026), and Madonna and Child on the Throne with Angels by the same Master (July 2026).

At the Museo delle Cappelle Medicee, the entrance and visitor reception area is scheduled for a complete reinstallation.

At the Orsanmichele Complex, plans include the restoration of the church’s historic stained-glass windows and the large windows of the museum. A two-year scientific study and conservation project has also been launched to address the active corrosion affecting the museum’s bronze sculptures.

At the Museo di Casa Martelli, following the reinstallation of the Martelli family coat of arms, work is underway on the restoration of the monumental rooms on the second and third floors, as well as energy refunctionalization (PNRR) including the replacement of window frames and the restoration of historic ones, in addition to the visible storage areas. New interventions also include the restoration—and in some cases replacement—of fabrics and wall coverings in the Quadreria rooms, the recovery of upholstery fabrics, the restoration of frescoes in six ground-floor rooms, and the restoration and reconstruction of painted faux-Palladian floors.

Work continues at the former Church of San Procolo, including energy efficiency upgrades for the entire structure and the restoration of large painted altarpieces. Once all interventions are completed, the space will officially become part of the extensive museum network of the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Musei del Bargello.

To complete the program, a significant enhancement of the regular maintenance plan is planned, along with the expansion of a comprehensive educational and inclusion program aimed at schools, families, and special-interest audiences, with the goal of broadening access to the heritage and promoting a participatory museum experience.

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