My Italy in 10 days, Day 2 Firenze – Part 2

At the Galleria Uffizi, the Firenze card proved again to be a fantastic aid and we skipped the long line to get into the gallery. Again, beautiful ceilings, magnificent sculptures and paintings.

Galleria Uffizi means literally Offices Gallery, as it was not created to be a museum. Vasari created it, by request of Cosimo de Medicci, to be the place where the magistrates, Florence Guilds were seated, having also a theatre and judiciary offices. When you walk along the different rooms, galleries and floors, it’s a never ending awe, wonder after wonder, from paintings, to tapestries, ceilings, sculptures. The most impressive collection of painting masterpieces, from Primavera and Birth of Venus by Botticelli, Madonna and Child of Filippo Lippi, as well as masterpieces by Giotto, Fra Angelico, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, da Vinci and Michelangelo.

But not only Italian masters are depicted there, other famous masterpieces from Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Velazquez, are part of the tremendous art collection at Uffizi

After the first stairs, there is a wooden door that is a remain of the Mediccean theater. Getting to the 2nd floor there is the Lorraine Atrium that leads to the main corridor and museum rooms, and where you can find marble sculptures with members of the of the Medici family. Walking further into the museum, we get to the first rooms, arranged in a chronological order and by period and artist. The paintings range from the 13th to the 18th century and with them along the corridors there is a beautiful collection of sculptures.

The Niobe room, on the 2nd floor is magnificent and is named by the 12 sculptures that were found in Rome in the 1500’s and later in the 1700’s transported to Florence. The Niobe sculpture represents a mother who tries to protect her youngest daughter.

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Rooms 18th to 23rd are the oldest and host the Tribune, that today displays paitings of the Medicci family painted by Bronzino, but that used to contain the most precious items in the museum. For a floor plan of the Uffizi gallery check this link Uffizi Floor Plan

From Uffizi and as we still had time, we headed to Galleria Dell Accademia, not without stopping to have a chilled water and a coffee with cream and take a time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings that will be posted soon, STAY TUNED