Florence is home to yet another top art gallery, namely, the Uffizi Palace and Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi and Palazzo degli Uffizi), and it is no overstatement to say this establishment is one of the most important in the world in terms of paintings inherited from the glorious Renaissance age. Indeed, some tend to believe the Uffizi Palace and Gallery stand out in sharp relief as the most valuable tourist asset of Florence in terms of museums and galleries, which means no thorough visitor of the capital of Tuscany can afford to overlook it. Moreover, the collection of masterpieces is deemed the first public art gallery in the world, and it was put together only under the patronage of the Medici family who, by their last heir, Anna Maria Luisa, handed down the collection to Florence provided that the city never alienates it.

The collection aside, one might easily tell the establishment in itself is, architecturally speaking, a work of art, given it was designed by Giorgio Vasari during the latter half of the 16th century, for the intended use of the Medici family. The so-called Vasari Corridor (linking Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti) has kept the name of its architect as a sign of the heartfelt appreciation for the work of the chief designer of the whole structure. The collection hosted by the Uffizi is generally deemed an epitome of the history of Florentine art as from the 14th to the 16th century, but, in fact, the exhibits exceed such geographical and temporal confines. Moreover, it is not even a paintings exhibition exclusively, since embroideries and several sculptures are easily noticeable and complement the collection.

However, the main highlights of the Uffizi refer to: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Rembrandt’s Self Portrait as an Old Man and Self Portrait as a Young Man, Caravaggio’s Medusa, Young Bacchus and Sacrifice of Isaac, various works of Antonio Allegri (Correggio), Michelangelo’s Holy Family, Raphael’s self portrait and Virgin Mary with the Goldfinch, several monumental painting of Rubens, da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi. However, one can only imagine these are but a taste of the overwhelmingly rich collection of the Uffizi, which, by its countless and unspeakably valuable exhibits, fills 45 rooms made available by the palace. Art enthusiasts and connoisseurs are highly likely to find the visitation of the museum is a genuine thrill ride, whereas tourists with commonplace appetite for art might just as well, though not as thoroughly, discover or conceive the grandness of the collection displayed at the Uffizi.

Name:
Galleria degli Uffizi and Palazzo degli Uffizi
Address:
6 Piazzale degli Uffizi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence
Telephone:
0039 (0) 55 23885
Website:
www.uffizi.firenze.it