The Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Again, no visit to Florence is complete without a visit to the Uffizi or "Galleria degli Uffizi". Even for those who may not be as keen in art as myself, this art museum, one of the oldest in Europe, contains just the right amount of cultural delights to keep the mildly curious from feeling annoyed that they've spent too much time and money without having seen enough internationally reknowned works; whilst art connaisseurs will be able to linger much longer feeling they've savoured a good amount of the collection.

The structure was originally built as a palace for Cosimo I de Medici (1560-1581) as the offices for the city's magistrates or "uffizi". The "cortile" (internal courtyard) is long and narrow and leads out to the Arno River. Most architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscapes of Europe.

By the end of the 16th century, the Uffizi became a place where the artistic wealth of the Medici family were put on public display and over the following years, further parts of the palace evolved into viewing galleries for a selective public.

The last remaining Medici Heiress, Anna Maria Lodevica bestowed to the city of Florence the art treasures of the family and in 1765 it was officially opened to the general public. The collection is vast including some of my favourite artists such as: Cimabue, Giotto, Fra Filippo Lippi, Hugo van der Goes, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrant van Rijn...

As stated above, there is something for everyone in the Uffizi and I would find it difficult for anyone not to be able to appreciate a visit to this museum. The crowds may be overwhelming so GO EARLY. The museum opens its doors to the first visitors at 8:15 and it is well worth arriving at that time and making the morning out of your visit. Do call the Uffizi directly to reserve your tickets on 055 2388651 (they speak fluent English); any other site will charge you more than the €4.00 booking fee charged by the Uffizi. When you arrive from the Piazza della Signoria, go to the middle of the "cortile" and to your right you will need to collect your ticket. Once you have it, you cross over to the right side of the "cortile" where you enter the museum. Enjoy!

Opening times:

Tuesday-Sunday: 8:15 - 18:50 (sometimes extended in the summer - check)
Closed Mondays, Christmas, New Year's and May 1st

€6.50 full priced admission
€3.25 for reductions
Exhibitions are generally more
€4.00 advanced booking charge (well worth it, it guarantees you an entry at an alotted time, otherwise, have fun queueing up for ages)

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The octagonal Tribuna is the pearl of the Uffizi symbolizing the four elements. The cupola with shells is the sea, the scarlet silk on the walls is the fire, while the lantern and the wind rose represent the air. The marble floor and the precious table standing in the center, are the earth of course. By the 1770s it was the most famous room in the world.
In the center of the Tribuna you can see the Medici Venus by a classical Greek sculptor. The painting on the walls are portraits of the members of the Medici family.
The grand-ducal collection of the Uffizi comprises thousands of paintings of all times. It is impossible to see all of them in one day. If you try to get the museum visit over in one day, the result is always a dead-tired tourist, who conceives a dislike for the museums forever.
You should be selective, and concentrate only to the art works you are most interested in. I would like to call your attention to one thing only: expect to spend some time in front of the magnificent Doni Tondo in its original frame, the only known preserved panel painting by Michelangelo. Some famous highlights, such as Birth of Venus and Primavera from Botticelli, Tiziano's Venus of Urbino, Leonardo's Annunciation, or Pope Leo X by Rafaello you should not pass by.
At the end of the visit, go up to the terrace bar at the top, and drinking a cool Campari you can admire the fantastic view of Piazza della Signoria.

There are 28 sculptures in niches along Vasari's court.

All the grand Tuscan artists, writers, poets, philosophers, men of arms and statesmen representative of Florentine History:

Cosimo the Elder
Lorenzo the Magnificent
Andrea Orcagna
Nicola Pisano
Giotto
Donatello
Alberti
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo
Dante Alghieri
Petrarch
Boccaccio
Machiavelli
Guicciardini
Vespucci
Galileo
Antonio Micheli
Francesco Redi
Paolo Mascagni
Aandra Cisalpino
Sant'Antonino
Accorso
Guido Aretino
Cellini
Farinata degli Uberti
Pier Capponi
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
Francesco Ferrucci.

Avoid the two-hour peak-season midday wait by making a telephone reservation. It's easy, slick, and costs only €3 (in addition to the €8.50 admission fee). Dial 055-294-883 during office hours (Mon–Fri 8:30–18:30, Sat 8:30–12:30) at least a day before your visit and ideally at least a few days in advance for a better selection. With the help of an English-speaking operator, you'll quickly get an entry slot (15-min window) and a six-digit confirmation number. Off-season, it can be possible to get a same-day reservation. Using the same phone number, you can reserve in advance for the Accademia, Bargello, Medici Chapels, and Pitti Palace; of these, the Accademia has the worst lines.

After you've booked your reservation, go to the Uffizi at your appointed time. give your number, pay (cash only), and scoot right in.

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No controversies here, just pitting the Uffizi gallery against the Palazzo Pitti museums. In reality the two museums, although sitting on opposite sides of the Arno river, are connected together by an ingeniously-devised elevated medieval corridor called Corridoio Vasariano. But this is where their commonality ends.

While getting into the Uffizi requires a very stressful ritual of waking up on ungodly hours to beat the long queue, snatching tickets to the Pitti museums is effortless. And the collection? The Uffizi may be regarded as Italy's greatest gallery, but poor presentation and the absence of many artworks loaned to other galleries all over the world make one think if the hype is worth it. Of course, as the Uffizi is obligatory for all tourists, art lover or not, the gallery is a virtual claustrophobic's nightmare.

In contrast, Pitti's collections are well-presented and labeled and the expansive corridors and galleries provide ample space to enjoy the collections, which are not lacking in Raphaels, Titians and Caravaggios, among others.

If I had to choose between the Uffizi and Pitti, it's a no brainer and Pitti comes out a winner.

The Uffizi is one of the better galleries around the world with a couple of key paintings, including Botticelli's Birth of Venus, in a wonderful two storied building.

The Uffizi Palace, as it was then, was constructed in the mid- sixteenth century by the architect Giorgio Vasari in the period when Cosimo de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany was in power. The building is a long U shaped affair with 45 rooms on the third floor that contain a large number of paintings, sculptures plus some tapestries and pieces of furniture. Work by artists Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio can be seen here. On the second floor there are a few rooms including a library.

My tour group had an optional excursion for 30 euros so I paid the 8.50 euro entry fee & walked it myself getting the 4.50 euro audio guide. You can book tickets online as queues can get extremely long in the middle of summer - a limited number of people are let in every 15 minutes so your wait may be quite long.

Visit the below website for a virtual look at the gallery. There is also a link to purchase tickets though you have to specify date and time which may not be easy fitting into your schedule.

Uffizi is Italian for "offices". The rooms that house the amazing Uffizi Gallery, one of the world's leading museums, were once the offices housed by those who ran the City of Firenze. Today, the corridors of the Uffizi along with the Vasari Corridor connect the Palazo Vecchio and Pittl Palace, on the other side of the Arno.

While the Art that is housed in the museum is truly world class, the building itself is worth a visit. Murals cover the ceilings of every section of the hallways corridors. There is so much to see I imagine a person could return daily for years and not notice everything.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Uffizi Gallery

To avoid the long lines that are typical during the high season, purchase your tickets online.

Tickets: euro 8,00
euro 4,00 European Citizens

The pic shows the Piazzale degli Uffizi and Loggiato degli Uffizi - beginning at the Palazzo Vecchio and stretching to the river Arno.

Here you find the entrance to the Museo degli Uffizi or Uffizi Gallery, wich houses numerous famous art works such as the Birth of Venus and the Primavera by Botticelli, The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci as well as works by Michelangelo, Titian and Rubens.

Because of its popularity and because only small groups are let into the museum at one time, people have to wait in line for several hours to visit the Uffizi Gallery.
There is a number that you can call in advance and reserve a specific time to visit the museum. For only about US $1 extra, you can call 39-055-294-883 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and buy your tickets.

VASARI CORRIDOR:
The Vasari Corridor goes from the West Corridor of the Gallery, heads towards the Arno and then, raised up by huge arches, follows the river as far as the Ponte Vecchio, which it crosses by passing on top of the shops. On the other side of the Arno, the corridor passes through the interior of the church of Santa Felicita, over the tops of the houses and the gardens of the Guicciardini family until it finally reaches the Boboli gardens and the apartments in the Pitti Palace.