Special openings of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure

The Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a small museum rich in history and art,  is one of the museums not to be missed, because here you can discover and admire the art of Florentine “commisso”.
The Museo dell’Opificio, opened in 1882, is a branch of the art workshop that works hard semi-precious stones, founded in 1588 by Grand Duke Ferdinand I of the Medici. Its collections include works of great refinement that cover the entire manufacturing activity that lasted three centuries.
The processing of Florentine “commisso”  involves the creation of a drawing on cardboard provided by an artist, for which a careful selection of semiprecious stones is then made, in order to render the various tones, shades and chiaroscuro as faithfully as possible. Among the materials used are colored granite, porphyry, lapis lazuli, Sicilian jasper, as well as various marbles. Unlike mosaic, the "commesso" doesn’t use geometric tiles, but cuts pieces, chosen for color, opacity, brightness and shades of the veins, creating a figurative design. With this technique, works of extraordinary value were created, from furniture to various objects, up to perfect copies of paintings to hang, which today enrich museums around the world, testifying to the genius and technique of Florentine artisans.

And the Museum extends its opening time with a rich program of special openings to allow greater enjoyment of its works. 
Dates and times:

• Special evening opening: Saturday, September 26, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM (last entry at 10:30 PM).
• Special afternoon openings from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM (last entry at 5:30 PM), featuring free guided tours with no advance booking required, on the following dates: September 17 and 24, 2026; October 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2026; and November 5, 12 and 19, 2026. Guided tours will last a maximum of one hour and are scheduled to start at approximately 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. Groups will be formed on-site at the museum, with a maximum of 20 participants per tour.

These special museum openings will be complemented by a series of musical concerts organized in collaboration with the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory on the following dates: October 1, 8, and 15, and November 5, 12, and 19, 2026. The concerts are included in the museum admission ticket; they will begin at 4:45 PM and last approximately 45 minutes.