Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Overview

The Museum annexed to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, currently a modern centre specialising in conservation, directly derives from the manufactory for the artistic production and workmanship of semiprecious stones which was officially founded in 1588 by Ferdinand I de’ Medici. The rooms created out of the great hall document works produced in the Grand-ducal Medici and Lorraine periods, whereas the 19th century rooms contain works of the post-Unification period.

Tour details

Entry to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure is available every 15 minutes!
Reservations must be made with a minimum of 1 day notice.
Reservations are limited to 30 persons maximum.

AS A CUSTOMER OF OURS, YOU GET: 

• 10% DISCOUNT at Alinari Showroom

• Free dessert offered by Le Barrique Restaurant Enoteque Via del Leone, 40 - Firenze, showing our voucher (offer valid for the dinner).

Save time in ordering! Add into your basket all the museum tickets you want, then fill the form and send the request.
Before making your reservation, please, read the Ordering Informations

IMPORTANT NOTICE: After succesfully completing a reservation, you will receive two e- mails: the copy of your order (immediately after submitting your order) and the confirmation mail (one working day after). In order to receive them, please make sure you insert your e-mail address correctly and check that your anti-spam filter or antivirus are not blocking mails from our address reservations@waf.it. Special attention for AOL mailbox users.

PLEASE NOTICE: Confirmed time is not always the same time you requested; museum automatically confirms the closest available time on the same date if requested time is sold out.
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 8:15 – 14:00; Thursday: 08:15 – 19:00

Cancellation Policy:
For cancellations once a confirmation code has been assigned to the reservation, and for no shows, we can refund cost of unused tickets minus service fee (reservation fee and online booking fee).

Details

The Museum annexed to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, currently a modern centre specialising in conservation, directly derives from the manufactory for the artistic production and workmanship of semiprecious stones which was officially founded in 1588 by Ferdinand I de’ Medici.

The physiognomy of the Museum does not correspond to a particular collector’s taste but is more the reflection of life and events of a centuries-old artistic production.

The most prestigious creations, frequently gifts on the part of the Florentine Grand Dukes, are conserved in palaces and museums throughout Europe, whereas the incomplete works were left behind in the workshops, along with modified or subsequently disassembled works. To these may be added all those artefacts which survived the 19th century dispersion, ending only in 1882 when the collection took on museum form. The latter examples, some of which are highly impressive and sophisticated, are sufficient in outlining the historic course of craftsmanship which unfolds over three centuries. The Museum, furthermore, possesses an important reserve of ancient marbles and semiprecious stones, whose assortment depends on the inlay technique employed at the time.

The Museum was renovated in 1995, to Adolfo Natalini’s design. The collection has been rearranged, under the guidance of Anna Maria Giusti, according to theme: the rooms created out of the great hall document works produced in the Grand-ducal Medici and Lorraine periods, whereas the 19th century rooms contain works of the post-Unification period. The mezzanine of the hall is dedicated to the craftsman’s techniques and includes a rich set of stone samples, work benches, tools and even didactic examples of a few of the production phases of intarsia and inlay work. It is, indeed, possible in this way to trace the full process, from the initial design through to the finished work, and to discover the most intimate mechanisms of a fascinating episode of Florentine art history.

Prices

Tickets:

Full price

Reduced price:
European Union citizens aged 18 to 25
European Union teachers

Free tickets:
European Union citizens under 18 and over 65 (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult)
Groups of Italian and European schools accompanied by their teachers, with official authorisation from the school and with an advance booking.
Tourist guides with an official document
Tourist interpreters accompanying a group with an official document
Members of ICOM
Students or scholars of all nationalities, engaged on specific research, may apply for special permits for a limited period.

Schools: Groups of Italian and European schools accompanied by their teachers, with official authorisation from the school and with an advance booking to be made directly to the museum.

Service fees and eventual temporary exhibition fees are due for any kind of ticket and for gratuity days.
Please notice you'll be asked to exhibit an identity document at the museum entrance

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