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The Uffizi Gallery
Piazzale degli Uffizi http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/uffizi-gallery.htmlAbout
AddressPiazzale degli UffiziTicketFull € 6,50Reduced € 3,25(during temporary exhibitions, full price becomes € 11)If you book online, you have to add booking fees Opening hoursOpen from 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Tuesdays through Sunday, entrance every 15 minDays of closureClosed on Mondays, January 1, May 1, and December 25 Must see's Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus Filippino Lippi's Madonna and Child with Two Angels Titian's Venus of Urbino (summer 2013 - currently on loan to museum in Venice for exhibition) Lots of other works, including from the early Masters Cimabue and Giotto, Early Rennaisance pioneers Fra Angelico and Masaccio, Caravaggio, Rembrant, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Uffizi Gallery museum is among the most visited in Italy, with over 1.5 million visitors each year, so long lines are inevitable. Weekends, Tuesdays and mornings are the busiest times. Despite the slightly higher cost of entrance (extra booking fees), it might be better to buy your Uffizi tickets ahead of time to skip the long line and spend more time in the museum. A brief presentation Like a very precious treasure, the Uffizi Gallery will grant itself to visitors after some trials: initial incertitude on where to get tickets, lines to get inside, lines at the metal detector, lots of stairs before the access to the top loggia and then... the Gallery will unveil its stunning frescoed ceilings and a long labyrinth of amazing works of art exposed chronologically. This "U" shaped Renaissance building was actually not created as a museum. Cosimo de' Medici had entrusted his favorite architect Giorgio Vasari to create a grandiose building to host the magistrates, the seats of the Florentine Guilds, a vast theatre and judiciary offices (hence the name "Uffizi" which means offices in Italian). For this reason, the spaces you'll be visiting were not meant to welcome up to 10.000 people a day... The halls of the Uffizi were only accessible for the Grand Ducal family, servants and only a few selected guests. Guests were welcomed in the top floor of the Uffizi to admire the grandiose collection of Roman sculptures. The art-fond Medicis collected for centuries manuscripts, sculptures, gems, coins, cameos and, with Francesco I, there is the first private room dedicated to "any kind of wonder". Buontalenti created for him an octagonal shaped Tribune to host Francesco's favorite works of art and jewels. The Tribune is considered the most ancient and precious heart of the Uffizi, still maintaining the original shape of its 1584 construction. The concept of "museum" will be developed by Pieter Leopold of the Lorraines in 1769, when he opened the Uffizi Gallery and its treasures to the public. He would have never imagined that it would become one of the most frequented museums in the world. Serious art lovers should visit the Uffizi at least twice to see all of it! IMPORTANT NOTE: Considering that the Gallery was not initially meant to be a museum open to numerous visitors, try and be patient if the halls you'll visit have reduced dimensions, are crowded or not perfectly air conditioned. The Gallery will touch you and take you into an emotional trip back into history organized in chronological order from the 13th to the 18th centuries. In the meantime, excuse the works in progress and closed rooms as the "New Uffizi" project slowly makes renovations and tries to modernize the building while remaining open to the public. A walk through the Collections Start from the Gothic painters which include Giotto and Cimabue, who left us some of the largest altarpieces. The magic of the first hall is the sensation to be welcomed inside an antic church, with low lighting reminding us about candle lights. Enjoy a walk by the Hall of Early Renaissance painters (Sala 7) like Paolo Uccello and Masaccio and a special sop in front of the unmistakable
