Skip to content
Casa Guidi, Florence
Photo © Carlo Cantini
Photo © Carlo Cantini

Casa Guidi

account_balance
Museums

In Florence, visitors can the house where the English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barret Browning once lived

Casa Guidi is a museum in Florence, housed in the residence in piazza San Felice that was rented starting in 1847 by the couple Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barret Browning, famous English poets who lived here for many years. Elizabeth died in the house in 1861.

The Brownings worked for two years to furnish the apartment, buying a few expensive pieces, like the gilded mirror in the main hall, while most of the paintings and other furniture were found at second-hand shops in Florence: indeed, a lot of their furnishings were simple and practical.

When restoring the property, the Landmark Trust and Eton College tried to maintain the original atmosphere, avoiding a museum-like look.

There are currently paintings and furniture that belonged both to the Barrett and Browning families, which were generously donated to Casa Guidi, but overall, the furnishings are similar to what was there when the couple lived in the house. The walls and ceilings in the main hall and main bedroom and the ceiling of the poet’s study were restored to their original colours. All the doors and fireplaces are original.

After Elizabeth died, the City of Florence installed an inscription above the front door to commemorate her (written by Niccolò Tommaseo), which says that her poetry created a link between Italy and England.

Accessibility information: feelflorence.it