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21.07.2023 - 07:30 / roughguides.com / Leonardo Da-Vinci / Amerigo Vespucci
Birthplace of the Renaissance, it’s fair to say Florence (Firenze) exudes art at every turn, with countless galleries and museums showcasing centuries of artistic and scientific innovation. Read on to discover some of the best museums in Florence, Italy, from the majesty of the Uffizi and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, to the absorbing Museo Galileo, and beyond.
Sitting pretty in Tuscany, writers and artists have celebrated Florence as the most beautiful city in Italy since the early nineteenth-century. Going a step further, you also deemed it to be the one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
While this beauty is evident from simply strolling the city, art lovers will want to dig deeper into Florence’s cultural jewels by spending time in some of its world-class galleries and museums.
Given the sheer volume of art in the city, and the corresponding colossal number of museums and galleries, our run-down of the best museums in Florence might help focus your plans, so you can make the most of your trip.
Works by Leonardo da Vinci loom large in Florence's best museums © Shutterstock
Kicking off with the obvious (it does, after all, boast the world’s finest collection of Italian Renaissance art), the Uffizi presents a mind-blowing parade of masterpieces. If you want to visit one of the best museums in Florence, this is it.
Housed in what were once government offices (uffizi) built by Vasari for Cosimo I, these later became the home of the Medici’s art collection.
The spectacle of masterpieces begins immediately, with altarpieces of the Maestà (Madonna Enthroned) by Duccio, Cimabue and Giotto.
Among the Uffizi’s many, many highlights, rooms 10-14 boasts a bounty of works by Botticelli.
While The Primavera and The Birth of Venus are the biggest crowd-pullers, don’t overlook Botticelli’s wonderful religious paintings, such as the Madonna of the Magnificat and the Madonna of the Pomegranate.
Meanwhile, in the Michelangelo room, all eyes are on the artist’s Doni Tondo — the only easel painting he came close to completing.
Been there, done that, and bought the Michelangelo t-shirt? The Uffizi (officially Galleria degli Uffizi) now has a whole new floor of galleries, plus an excellent bookshop. All of which gives art-lovers plenty of reasons to return.
Statue of Amerigo Vespucci on the facade of the Uffizi, one of the best musuems in Florence © Shutterstock
A remarkable museum of sculpture and applied arts, the Museo Nazionale del Bargello is an essential complement to the Uffizi.
Occupying the Palazzo del Bargello, which was built in 1255 and became the seat of the city’s chief magistrate, the Bargello leaves visitors little time to catch their breath. The room right behind the ticket office is crammed with
This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.
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