Uffizi Gallery, Art museum in Florence, Italy
The Uffizi is an art museum in Florence holding paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages through the modern era, including pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. The museum occupies several floors within a long building arranged around a courtyard, with corridors lined with ancient busts and rooms organized by period and school.
Giorgio Vasari began the U-shaped building in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici to house Florence's thirteen magistracies, hence the name uffizi, "offices". Bernardo Buontalenti and Alfonso Parigi completed it in 1581, and the top floor became the Medici gallery. The gallery opened to visitors by request in the 16th century, was officially opened to the public in 1769, and formally became a museum in 1865.
The name comes from uffizi, "offices", because Cosimo I housed thirteen Florentine magistracies here. The octagonal Tribuna, completed in 1584 by Buontalenti, was designed to display Medici masterpieces and became a stop on the Grand Tour. In the Loggiato, the niches between the columns hold 19th-century sculptures of famous artists.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday and closes on Mondays; lines can be long, especially during spring and summer. Visitors should plan several hours for a visit and wear comfortable shoes, as the halls cover a large area.
The department of prints and drawings holds more than 177,000 graphic works from the 14th century to the present day. This collection sits away from the main galleries and opens only by appointment, making it a hidden treasure within the museum.
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