Uffizi Galleries
Florence, Italy
The Uffizi occupies the upper floors of Giorgio Vasari's sixteenth-century building between Piazza della Signoria and the Arno. Originally conceived as offices for the Florentine administration, its long corridors and sequence of galleries now provide a setting for a substantial collection of European art. Windows and the colonnaded courtyard keep the city closely connected to the experience. Italian painting from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance forms the collection's centre of gravity. Works by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo allow visitors to follow changes in composition, perspective and the portrayal of the human figure. Paintings by German, Dutch and Flemish artists broaden that account, while ancient sculpture collected by the Medici lines the corridors, linking Renaissance interests with their classical sources. A visit rewards a selective approach, with time to examine individual rooms rather than trying to absorb everything at once. Audio guides offer context for the permanent collection, and the terrace café provides a pause above the surrounding streets. For travellers interested in the relationship between art, patronage and civic identity, the building and its contents make a particularly coherent introduction to Florence.