If you want to get slightly off the beaten path while in Florence, you could do far worse than visiting the Stibbert Museum.

European armor and art.

It is like what House on the Rock could have been if only House on the Rock was better.  Seriously.

Armored horse and a huge, heavy sword.

The museum was created by Frederick Stibbert.

European armor and swords.

Frederick’s grandfather, Giles, had been commander in chief for the British East India Company and Governor of Bengal.  Giles was filthy rich, and passed on his fortune to Frederick when he was 21.

Islamic armor.

Frederick then used that vast fortune to collect stuff, lots and lots of stuff.  He had a huge thing for armor and collected a huge armor collection (some 16,000 pieces) from all over the world.

Asian armor.

In addition to armor, there are collections of swords, guns, and other weapons, along with paintings and china.

Asian armor headpiece.  Or, the inspiration for the ferengi on Star Trek.  Or both?

The Asian armor helmets were amazing, as were the horses covered in armor.

A cape worn by Napoleon.

Just like the guy who built the House on the Rock, Stibbert never married.

Egyptian sarcophagi.

Unlike the guy who built the House on the Rock, when Stibbert died in 1906, he bequeathed everything to the city of Florence.  So, now everyone can visit and see his amazing collection for a very reasonable price (only 8 Euro).