The gallery presents the invaluable works of Leonardo "Adoration of the Magi" and "Annunciation"; Michelangelo's only significant painting is the tondo depicting the Holy Family. The Uffizi Museum has the world's most informative collection of paintings by Botticelli.
Against the backdrop of the Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi)
Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) - the most famous Florentine museum of fine art. Its name literally means "office gallery". It is located between Senoria Square and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge near the Arno River. The building was built in 1560-81. and was intended for the magistrates of Florence.
Construction history
The history of the gallery began in the XVI century, when the governor of Cosimo I Medici decided to place 13 ministries of Florence, the entire city administration, in the Uffizi Palace. The old quarters near Signoria Square were demolished for construction; stone from old buildings was used for a new building. The author of the Uffizi Palace project was Giorgio Vasari. After his death, the work was completed by architects B. Buontalenti and A. Parisi. Under the roof of the palace, the offices of the magistrates, the State Archives and the Tribunal were assembled.
Uffizi Gallery - heritage of the Medici clan, one of the oldest Italian museums
Gallery History
Uffizi tribune, in the painting of the XVIII century
But even such a serious institution, the Italians, known for their love of beauty for art, were gradually decorated with paintings and sculptures. Initially, these were works of art from the personal collection of the Medici family. The collection was constantly growing thanks to donations from patrons and artists. After the Medici clan was expelled from Florence, family values remained in the palace.
In 1765, when Anna Maria Ludovica, the last of the Medici, presented the family art collection to the inhabitants of Florence, the gallery turned into the first public museum of the city, and later into a world landmark.
Leonardo da Vinci, one of the statues of the great Florentines on the porch
During the Napoleonic Wars, some works from the collection of the Ufizzi were lost. During the Second World War, the building was flooded, a significant part of the collection was looted by the Nazis. In 1993, a bomb was blown up near the building. Part of the palace was damaged - the hall of Niobe was especially badly damaged; most of its frescoes could not be restored.
Architecture
Inside the Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery is two identical buildings connected by a covered passage. The facades of the buildings are lined with gray stone, a portico with arcades leads inside. The entrance to the gallery is formed by three vestibules. The first of them contains marble and porphyry busts of the Medici dynasty. The arches of the rectangular hall on the ground floor were decorated in the 17th century by Giovanni Manozzi. In the oval lobby you can see the ancient Roman statues, sarcophagi, reliefs.
Collection
Rafael "Madonna and Carduelis"
Nevertheless, Ufizzi still holds many valuable works, genuine pearls of art. Most of the paintings are exhibited in rooms with modern interiors and partially preserved elements of ancient decor. The exposition occupies 6 thousand m2 and is divided into 50 halls.
The gallery presents the invaluable works of Leonardo "Adoration of the Magi" and "Annunciation"; Michelangelo's only significant painting is the tondo depicting the Holy Family. The Uffizi Museum has the most substantial collection of Botticelli paintings in the world, the main ones being The Birth of Venus and Spring.
Titian "Venus Urbinskaya", 1538
The grandiose "Italian" collection contains paintings by Raphael (the most famous "Madonna and Carduelis"), Titian (the famous "Venus Urbinskaya"), Caravaggio (the famous painting "Bacchus"), Tintoretto, Bassano, Veronese and other eminent painters. The museum displays the best paintings by French, German, Flemish and Dutch masters, a large collection of self-portraits of European artists, collected by Cardinal Leopoldo Medici.
Caravaggio
Bacchus, circa 1596
Opening hours
Tue - Sun 08:15 - 18:50;
Mon - day off.
Entry tickets
To get to the Uffizi Gallery, tourists from all over the world line up in a long line. Only in winter there are fewer people wishing. Therefore, I recommend booking tickets in advance here.
Full ticket price - € 8.00; with the exhibition - € 11; reservation - € 4.
Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi)
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6 50222 Firenze FI Italy
polomuseale.firenze.itTake bus C1 to the Galleria Degli Uffizi stop
