The Museum was founded in 1869 by the anthropologist Paolo Mantegazza who pursued the intent to collect the testimonies of human diversity: 18 rooms display prestigious and rich ethnographic collections, a document of great importance of the world's cultures.
There are objects of all kinds that illustrate the customs and traditions of various peoples: clothes, clothing accessories, ornaments and jewels; architectural elements, boats, idols and amulets; offense, defense and hunting weapons; tools for agricultural production, for fishing and for domestic life; home furnishing objects; musical instruments; liturgical objects of different cults; books, paintings and manuscripts. The oldest collections date back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They come from the collections of the Medici family who gathered refined objects from the New World.
Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Firenze - Antropologia e Etnologia
Via del Proconsolo, 12, 50122 Firenze FI, Italia
At the entrance of the museum people will find an Infopoint and an elevator accessible to wheelchairs. People having special needs are kindly suggested to get in touch with the customer care office (Servizi Educativi) before visiting. Disabled toilets are located before the exhibition.
This museum belongs to the network Musei Welcome Firenze who organises guided tours, workshops and meetings for all types of publics all year round (such as Tactum and Arti e Scienze).
