Frederick Stibbert (1838-1906) collected 50,000 objects — armor, weapons, costumes, paintings, furniture — from Europe, Japan, India, and the Islamic world. He displayed them in his villa with theatrical staging: a hall of mounted knights in full battle formation (14 armored horsemen charging, lances down), a Japanese samurai room, an Islamic arms gallery. €8, hidden in a park on the hills above Florence, visited by nobody.
The Cavalcade Hall: 14 mounted knights in tournament armor, horses caparisoned, lances ready — the most spectacular display of medieval arms in Europe. Japanese armor room: 60+ samurai suits, katanas, Edo-period helmets with demon masks. Islamic arms: Ottoman swords, Persian shields, Mamluk helmets with gold calligraphy. Practical: Via Federico Stibbert 26. €8. Open Mon-Sun 10am-2pm (Fri-Sun until 6pm). Bus 4 from San Marco. Duration: 1-1.5h.