Il Cassero per la scultura italiana dell'Ottocento e del Novecento
Museum in the ancient Cassero tower of Montevarchi with over five hundred Italian sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is housed in the Cassero, the main tower of the city walls that the Florentines built in Montevarchi in 1328, when the town, which had come under Florence in 1273, had become an important border and trading centre. For a long time the building had military functions. At the end of the 18th century it was sold to private owners; in the second half of the 19th century it passed to the Province of Arezzo and in the early 20th century, after the first internal works, it housed the barracks of the Carabinieri.
Today the Province of Arezzo lends the spaces to the museum on loan for use, a project unmatched in Italy: it collects and documents Italian sculpture of the last two centuries and aims to serve as a point of reference for the plaster cast galleries and artists’ museums of the region and of the rest of the country, with which it launches joint projects to make little-visited collections better known.
The permanent collection, entirely restored, numbers more than five hundred works in bronze, marble, plaster, terracotta and drawings, which came to Montevarchi through donations from private individuals, together with original documents, period photographs and press cuttings that are still being catalogued. Among others, it includes Michelangelo Monti, Timo Bortolotti, Arturo Stagliano, Raffaello Romanelli, Antonio Maraini, Mario Moschi and the Montevarchi natives Pietro Guerri, Elio Galassi and Ernesto Galeffi.
The display, designed by Alfonso Panzetta and Francesco Papa of Area Associati, conceives each room as an artist’s studio, suited to the character of the sculptor and of their collection. The spacious statuary hall on the ground floor, open to the square and with the historic tower enclosed by a perforated steel screen, is designed for educational activities and performing-arts events.
Highlights
- Over five hundred works in bronze, marble, plaster, terracotta and drawings
- Rooms set up as artists’ studios
- Statuary hall on the ground floor, with the tower enclosed by a steel screen
- Tactile route with about 50 works and audio descriptions
- 14th-century tower of the Montevarchi city walls
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione permanente di scultura italiana dell'Ottocento e del Novecento – Over five hundred works in bronze, marble, plaster, terracotta and drawings, arranged in rooms designed as artists’ studios.
- Founded
- 2010
- Visitors per year
- approx. 3,693
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2Under 18s, members of Coop, CTS, ISIC, ITIC, Touring Club and FAI, holders of the Mondadori Card, Selecard and Artsupp card, ICOM card, Tuscany student card |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 5 · Free admission under 6; reduced ticket for ages 6 to 17. |
| Seniors | freeFree admission for over-65s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities. |
| Students & apprentices | –Reduced with the Tuscany student card or the ISIC card. |
| Groups | €1 per personSchool groups: €1 per pupil aged over 6. |
| Combined ticket for the 3 museums of Montevarchi (standard) | €10Includes the Cassero, the Museo Paleontologico and the Museo di Arte Sacra della Collegiata di San Lorenzo. |
| Combined ticket for the 3 museums of Montevarchi (reduced, ages 6–17) | €4 |
| Combined ticket for the 3 museums of Montevarchi (family) | €23Two adults with children and young people aged 6 to 17. |
Free admission also for holders of the Edumusei Card. Tickets can also be bought online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description
Entrance from Via Trieste 1 with a call button and ramp; all rooms can be reached by stairs with handrail and by a lift with tactile button panel and colour-coded signage. The statuary hall is reached via two steps, but it is possible to enter through the glass door on Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Tactile route with about 50 works, audio descriptions of some sculptures and videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS) viewable on the museum’s tablet and online. Reserved parking for people with disabilities nearby; animals are allowed on a leash or in a carrier.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
Every second Saturday of the month, from September to May, workshops for children aged 5 to 11 or aged 2 to 4 with a parent (€6 per child, by reservation). Birthday parties with space for a snack (€12 per child, by reservation) and holiday camps during the summer, Christmas and Easter breaks.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Frequent rail links on the Florence–Rome line.
By car
Parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities are nearby.
- Accessible parking
By car: Montevarchi is 39 km from Florence and 21 km from Arezzo (A1 motorway, Valdarno exit) and 40 km from Siena.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Museum shop at the ticket office.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Audio guide | yes (IT, EN, DE, RU, ZH) |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Free audio guides; information material in foreign languages is available at the ticket office. |
