I was a little overwhelmed with all the religious art, so little Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure was a much needed change. This wonderful museum is free with the Uffizi ticket. This is the place where you can see how the beautiful mosaics of the inlaid marble walls in the Cappella di Medici were created. It was astounding to find out how many types of marble and semiprecious stones were used to produce those intricate patterns on the walls of the Cappella dei Principi. The process of creating mosaics is thoroughly explained in the very informative short documentary on the second floor. I was completely alone in this treasure of a museum, I doubt tourists even know about it.

If you buy a 5-day pass to the Uffizi (and I highly recommend it), your pass also includes this often ignored gem of a museum (pun intended). Pietra Dura (hard stone) is the art of precision cutting semi-precious stones and fitting the pieces together to form patterns and images. The museum displays framed panels, furniture, and other decorative objects. And they are spectacular! Upstairs is a recreation of a workshop with workers’ stations, tools, hundreds of slices of stone specimens, and an excellent video explaining the process of creating these intricate and wondrous objects. This museum is just around the corner from the Accademia Galleries, so if you’re going to see David, stop by here too.

A great little museum devoted to mosaics and inlaid stonework of marble and semi-precious stones. I know it is quirky and sounds peculiar but the stoneworks are beautiful and very distinct. It is near the San Marco and the Accademia museums. The first floor has many exhibits while the second has a nice video explaining the various artistic techniques. Great find! BTW, admission is free of you have your Uffizi ticket.