Florence Attractions

Venue: Uffizi Galleries    When: Daily; not Mon

The Uffizi galleries were designed in 1560 for Cosimo de Medici by the famed art historian Vasari. They house some of the greatest paintings in the world and constitute the most important art collection in Italy outside of the Vatican. They are also bang in the middle of Florence's historic centre, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the haunting Madonnas of Cimabue (1240-1302) and Giotto (1267?-1337), the earliest players in the Italian Renaissance, the rooms lead through to all the Florentine masters: Masolino, Massacio, Filippo Lippi, the Pollaiuolo brothers. Further on is a room full of Botticellis (1445-1510), which is dominated by the incredibly famous Birth of Venus and Primavera.

Next is a room full of Verrochios (1435-1488), and some work attributed to the pupil who eclipsed him, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

Perhaps the most impressive room of all is the ornate and elaborate octagonal Tribuna, a tall thin construction with much of its original decoration preserved. Its walls, up to the ceiling, are lined with portraits, the most significant and rarest being Agnolo Bronzino's (1503-1572) images of the Medici family.

Please visit the Uffizi website for details of temporary exhibitions and temporary closed rooms.