Uffizi Gallery

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Galleria degli Uffizi

Must see's

• Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus
• Filippino Lippi's Madonna and Child with Two Angels
• Titian's Venus of Orbino
• Lots of other works, including from the early Masters Cimabue and Giotto, Early Rennaisance pioneers Fra Angelico and Masaccio, and Caravaggio and Rembrant.

History

The Uffizi is the most important and visited museum in Florence. The Uffizi palace was designed and begun in 1560 by the architect Giorgio Vasari in the period when Cosimo de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany, was bureaucratically consolidating his recent takeover of power. Built in the shape of a horseshoe extending from Piazza della Signoria to the Arno River and linked by a bridge over the street with Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi were intended to house the administrative offices (uffizi) of the Grand Duchy. From the beginning, however, the Medici set aside a few rooms on the third floor to house the finest works of their collections. The Gallery was subsequently enriched by various members of the Medici family. Two centuries later, in 1737, the palace and their collection were left to the city by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heir, and today houses one of the world's great art galleries.

Collection

In its 45 rooms, the Uffizi houses not only the best of Florentine paintings from the 14^th and 15^th centuries, but masterpieces from other parts of Italy as well as four centuries' worth of works from leading artists in Germany, Spain and Holland. Apart from paintings, the Uffizi exhibits ancient Roman and 16^th century sculpture in its frescoed corridors.

Serious art lovers should visit the Uffizi at least twice. The museum is organized in chronological order from the 13^th to the 18^th centuries. Your first visit should cover Rooms 1-28, dedicated to the Florentine Renaissance (home to the most famous paintings). A second visit could deal with Rooms 29-45, devoted to the High Renaissance and Mannerism in Florence, with works that end in the 18^th century.

Vasari Corridor

Visitors to the Uffizi may also visit the famous Vasari Corridor linking Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace on the other side of the Arno. Over 1 km long, the passage way was commissioned in 1565 by Cosimo I to celebrate the marriage of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria and was completed in only 6 months. The private corridor enabled the Medici to move freely between the seat of government and their private residence without having an escort and without walking among the commoners on the street. Apart from the delightful views of the city through the corridor's circular windows, its entire length contains a selection of 17^th and 18^th century paintings, including a unique self-portrait collection of painters. A visit to the corridor has to be booked in advance as only small groups are allowed, accompanied by a guide; for information and bookings, contact Firenze Musei at +39-055-265-4321.

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