Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most famous art museums in the world. It is home to some of the best examples of Italian Renaissance painting and sculpture, but artists from all over Europe are also represented here. Construction was started in 1560 by Giorgio Vasari (and finished in 1581 by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti) under the reign of Cosimo I de’ Medici, the first of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany, as the offices of the Florentine government. This heritage is still evident today, as ‘uffizi’ is the word for ‘offices’ in Italian. The offices are connected to Palazzo Pitti, which was the home of the Medici royal family, by the ‘Vasari Corridor’ – a hallway leading from Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi, over a loggia on the bank of the Arno, across the river on the Ponte Vecchio and through two blocks of Florentine houses to the Palazzo. The corridor was built so that the Medici could commute from their house to their seat of government without having to walk on the streets and face the people.

The building began to be used as a display for artworks while it was still in use by the Medici as their offices. The office space was frequently home to a number of artworks purchased by or commissioned by the family, and artists such as Michelangelo frequently came to the Uffizi to be inspired. After the royal Medici house was extinguished, the building immediately became a museum and is actually considered one of the first modern museums in the world. The Uffizi has been open to visitors (by request) since the 1500s, but became open to the public as a museum in 1765. Over the years, as the museum has grown in size, many pieces of the collection have been transferred to other museums (such as a number of sculptures to the Bargello). In 1993, the Uffizi was the victim of a bombing. A car exploded on a nearby street, killing five people and damaging parts of the palace. The most serious damage was done to the Niobe room, which has since been restored although some works of art have been damaged beyond repair. The bombers were never caught, although the crime is frequently attributed to the Sicilian Mafia.

Today the building houses a number of important, and famous, works. The best known paintings are two works by Botticelli: Primavera and The Birth of Venus. But there are a number of other famous and well-known artists represented here, including Giotto, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio, to name a few. There are also some important works in portraiture that you might recognize from your art history classes. The museum can be a little bit overwhelming, and if you are not a big fan of Renaissance art. After while, it gets to be a lot of pictures of Jesus and figures of Renaissance history who you may not know. Even if Renaissance art is not your favorite, it is still worth a quick tour through the museum – take a quick glance at some of the paintings and sculptures in a few of the rooms, definitely check out the works by Botticelli, and then head on up to the Uffizi’s café. The café is on top of the Loggia in Piazza della Signoria and it offers an up-close view of Palazzo Vecchio as well as a good view of the square below and the Duomo in the distance. There are also excellent views down the Arno River from the windows inside the gallery space. Entrance to the Uffizi museum can be rather expensive. The line to get into the Uffizi can also be rather long, but reservations can be made for an additional 4 euros. If you are interested in going to a bunch of Florence’s museum, perhaps multiple times, then the Friends of the Uffizi card may be of interest to you. Costing 40 euros for students, it is good for one full calendar year and allows unlimited access to the state museums.

If you can’t make it into the gallery, at least walk through the courtyard. The courtyard itself is very aesthetically pleasing, connecting Palazzo Vecchio to the Arno River, and is lined with sculptures of some of the most famous Italian artists such as Michelangelo and Donatello. It is a fun place to at least snap some pictures and hang out for awhile. The courtyard is a space that is frequently used by various street performers as a space to play music or act as ‘living statues’. Street vendors also frequently hang out around here and will sell trinkets to tourists for generally rip-off prices.

Right near the Uffizi, up by the river on the street where the exit to the gallery is, is the History of Science museum. If you are a science buff, then this museum might be of interest to you. They have some interesting exhibits and collections, including telescopes used by famous Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. They even have his middle finger, taken from his tomb at Santa Croce, on display here. If going to more museums is not on your list of things to do and you are ready for a snack instead, head on up Via de’ Neri. The street connects to Santa Croce, and there is an excellent gelateria and bakery there that shares its name with the street. The gelato is exceptionally tasty, but they also sell other tasty Italian treats such as cannoli, panna cotta and millefoglie.