Uffizi Gallery, National art museum in Florence, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery is a national art museum in Florence, Italy, extending across two floors of a Renaissance palace and displaying paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages through the Modern period. The galleries run along long corridors with windows overlooking the Arno, while the main rooms branch off to the sides and each present different periods and artists.
Giorgio Vasari designed this building in 1560 as administrative offices for the Medici family, which later became a public art gallery in 1769. The Medici collected artworks over centuries, and after the dynasty died out, these pieces passed to the city and formed the basis of the current museum.
The collection shows works by Italian masters like Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, as well as German, Dutch, and Flemish paintings. The rooms are organized by artistic schools and periods, so visitors can follow the development of Italian painting from one room to the next.
The museum opens Wednesday through Sunday from 8:15 AM to 6:30 PM, with extended hours until 10:00 PM on Tuesdays through December 2024. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the galleries are long, and arrive early in the morning or on less busy weekdays to avoid queues.
The Vasari Corridor connects the museum to Palazzo Pitti across the Arno River, passing above the Ponte Vecchio bridge. This passageway was originally built for the Medici so they could move between their palaces without using public streets.
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