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.
Cosimo I de Medici commissioned the building in 1560 as administrative offices before it opened to the public as a gallery in 1581. Over the centuries the collection grew through donations and purchases by the Medici family and other patrons.
Visitors encounter works from the Italian Renaissance that continue to shape how people view European art and identity. School groups and students gather quietly in the halls, while travelers pause at windows overlooking the Arno, drawn by the way the light falls on centuries-old paintings.
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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