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If you are visiting Florence, the Uffizi Gallery is a must-see.
The Uffizi is one of the most famous art museums in the world and for a good reason. Most of the art is from the renaissance period and displays masterpieces from artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Brueghel just to name a few. The main halls are filled with sculptures and portraits of the Medici family, the main contributors of the museum.
Historical Significance
The Uffizi is a historic building designed by Georgia Vasari as offices for Florentine magistrates. The collection traces the evolution of art from the Middle Ages to the High Renaissance, providing a comprehensive overview of how art developed over the centuries.
Pro Tips
First of all, buy tickets online in advance so that you can get in the short line. It moves pretty fast and you get a time to enter. It gets pretty crowded in the summer so the sooner you can get in, the cooler it will be.
There is a security line to get through and the bathrooms are on the lower level. That makes another set of stairs to climb to get to the top.
Also, The climb is long and hard up to the top floor where the tour begins. There is an elevator for those who have trouble climbing the stairs. We had to stop once and catch our breath before getting to the top.
But once you enter the double doors, you see that the climb is worth it.
The main hall at the top is filled with art from the ceiling to the floor. Sculptures line the walls as well as portraits of the Medici family and others that were important to Florence’s history.
From what I understand, Uffizi is always crowded. But in October, you can at least move from room to room with some ease. It was still very hot in the city and the air conditioning vents underneath the benches in the hall were quite a relief.
The Uffizi Masterpieces and Collections
You could easily spend two to three hours wandering from room to room taking in some of the worlds greatest masterpieces. Here are a few we really enjoyed.
Unlike Beth, I am not a big lover of religious art and of course this is the majority of art in the museum. My favourite piece, however was this painting of the Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus by Martini and Memmi. The look on the teenage virgin’s face is perfect. Teenagers have had that look for thousands of years.
More incredible Masterpieces of the Uffizi
Obviously I could not post everything here, but here are a few more famous pieces that shouldn’t be missed.
- Allegory of Spring, Virgin and Child, and Angels, Adoration of the Magi— Botticelli
- Brueghel–The Way to Calvary
- Tondo Doni–Michelangelo
- Da Vinci–Baptism of Christ
- Durer–Adoration of the Magi
Uffizi’s Self portrait gallery
By the time we reached the first floor where the portrait gallery is we were pretty tired. There is a cafe on the upper floor if you want to stop, have a drink or a light lunch. We decided to keep going but at a quicker pace.
The portrait gallery sort of reminded me of the walls at Hogwarts in Harry Potter. We stopped to admire the Rembrandt self portrait and the Caravaggio of Medusa on a shield (fantastic!)
Uffizi Tours
If you are like me and don’t know much about the art or at least don’t remember anything from that art class in college, there are many options for a tour. You can book a guided tour through the museum website. Get Your Guide is also a great way to book a tour.
I listened to Rick Steve’s tour of the Uffizi on this Audio Europe App (highly recommend) since I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time. I was traveling with two art history majors and felt a little lost and it was a great help.
Our Next Visit!
The Uffizi is a definitely a place we will visit again because one time is just not enough. Next time, we will spend more time down in the portrait section and perhaps even spend a little time in the cafe for a break.
Want to hear more about our trip to Florence? Check out our podcast!
Shelley is a full time traveler, blogger and podcaster currently living in Portugal with her wife, 2 dogs and a cat. She is a former history teacher originally from Winston-Salem, NC but wanted to see what life was like abroad. Now she travels all over Portugal and Europe writing about what she sees and does and tells you all kinds of fun stories on the podcast at Wandering Works for Us.