Villa La Pietra – Collezione Acton

About the museum

Villa La Pietra, on the hills north of Florence, has been owned since 1994 by New York University, to which Sir Harold Acton bequeathed it together with five villas and about 37 acres of gardens. The villa, the collection and the garden are protected as cultural heritage by the Italian Ministry. NYU keeps the estate as the Acton family conceived it and uses it for research in art history, restoration and Italian history; artists, writers and musicians work in the gardens as guests.

The Acton collection comprises over 6,000 objects of different periods and materials: Italian panel paintings of the early centuries, Flemish tapestries, Renaissance polychrome sculptures, French dresses, Art Nouveau silverware, Chinese ceramics and Baroque furniture. The works are not arranged according to a museum criterion but remain displayed as they were in the Actons’ time, as a decorative ensemble in dialogue with the architecture of the villa. In addition there is a library of about 10,000 volumes, largely first editions, and an archive of over 32,000 photographs, which also documents the family of Arthur Acton and Hortense Mitchell and their sons Harold and William.

The garden, in the Renaissance style, reflects the taste of the Anglo-American community of Florence around 1900. The villa is visited on guided tours by reservation and, on some days, free of charge.

Highlights

• Acton collection with over 6,000 art and furnishing objects
• Panel paintings, Flemish tapestries and polychrome sculptures
• Renaissance-style Italian garden
• Library of about 10,000 volumes and photographic archive
• Saletta delle Grottesche (room of the grotesques)

Founded

2003

Operated by

New York University

Visitors per year

approx. 3,000

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Open days with free guided tours at certain times of the year (registration one month in advance)

Tour of villa, collection and garden €20 per person; free admission for ICOM members and children under 7. Booking by email, telephone or through the online form.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The site warns that GPS navigation directions are often inaccurate. By taxi from Santa Maria Novella station in Florence it takes less than 20 minutes, from the airport less than 30 (taxi: 055 4390 or 055 4242); from the airport you can take the T2 tram to Santa Maria Novella.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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