EXPLORING THE UFFIZI GALLERY IN FLORENCE: A GUIDE TO MASTERPIECES

The original building for the Uffizi Gallery was first created in the XVI century by Giorgio Vasari and commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici . It was only completed in 1581 by architects Buontalenti and Parigi. Around this time, the building’s upper floor was turned into an art gallery, housing the collection of the Medici Family. At first, this museum was called the Gallery of Statues because the Medici’s collection was particularly focused on Greek and Roman statues.

The Uffizi Gallery officially opened as a Museum in 1769 and throughout the centuries, more and more of the building was used to house art and, along with some maintenance and renovation, it became the museum we know and love today!

THE ROOMS AND FLOORS

TheUffizi Gallery has over 100 rooms distributed on three floors, housing some of the most important works of art in the world.

You can start your visit to the museum by buying your ticket at the entrance of the ground floor or, if you want to avoid one of the longest queues you’ll ever see, you can book a skip-the-line tour with us!

This floor also houses the souvenir shop where you can even buy art history books to make your visit more interesting. If you’d rather wait until after the visit to buy something, don’t worry, you’ll pass this souvenir shop on the way out as well.

The first floor is divided into four parts:

* The Blue Rooms : containing art from the XVI to the XVIII century;

* The Red Rooms : with marble sculptures made by Raffaello, Vasari and many more;

* The Caravaggesque Rooms : housing works of art made by Caravaggio;

* The long corridor : this corridor contains beautiful statues and it leads to a Balcony that offers a great view over the Arno;

The second floor is where the most important works of art housed in the Uffizi Gallery are. In the 45 rooms on this floor, you will be able to find works from Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Perugino and many more.

THE COLLECTION

If you were wondering what to look forward to most when visiting the Uffizi Gallery , here’s a list of some of the most popular works of art contained in this Museum:

* BIRTH OF VENUS , made by Sandro Botticelli ;

* THE SPRING , made by Rosa Genoni ;

* LAOCOON AND HIS SONS , made by Baccio Bandinelli ;

* ANNUNCIATION , made by Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio ;

* MEDUSA , made by Caravaggio ;

* VENUS OF URBINO , made by Titian ;

CONCLUSION :

**If you’re in Florence , visiting the Uffizi Gallery is definitely a must if you wish to fully immerse yourself in art from the Renaissance.