Uffizi Gallery Tour

The Uffizi Gallery is perhaps the greatest repository of Renaissance and Mannerist artworks in the world. First created by Cosimo de' Medici I as office space for Florentine magistrates, this immense space soon began housing the resplendent art collection of the Medici family and was officially open for public viewing in the late 18th century. During the course of our three-hour walk, we will be led by an art historian who will share their deep knowledge of this renowned collection of art and will discuss the objective beauty of the works as well as their technical, political, and social connotations and their context within the whole of Renaissance society.

The itinerary begins in Piazza Signoria with an overview of the historical and architectural context of the Uffizi palace and a discussion of the early period of the Florentine Renaissance. From the piazza, we will enter the museum with a timed appointment and spend two and a half hours immersed in one of the greatest art collections in the world, which includes works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Giotto, and Da Vinci.

Your docent will narrate the history and evolution of Florentine art starting from the revolutionary new techniques introduced by Cimabue and Giotto, through the apex of harmony and naturalism, as symbolized by Botticelli and Lippi, and end with the exaggerated Mannerism of Parmigianino and Bronzino.