Bargello National Museum

The Palazzo del Bargello, which has housed the Museum since its foundation in 1865, is one of the oldest public buildings in Florence , with origins closely linked to the emergence of the Comune. After Florence had set itself up as a free Comune, beginning to mint its own money and in its new-found independence moving towards a period of major economic expansion, it established a constitution with a Podestà and a Capitano del Popolo at its head. Thus the palazzo was built, to provide a fitting premises for the Capitano del Popolo, nearly fifty years before Palazzo Vecchio.
The design of the oldest part of the building, that overlooking Via del Proconsolo, was attributed by Vasari to Lapo Tedesco, the father and master of Arnolfo di Cambio. The construction incorporated pre-existing structures including the Palagio and Tower of the Boscoli, as well as various houses and towers belonging to the church of the Badia. Building began in 1255, as confirmed by a stone walled into the facade.

Polo Museale Fiorentino