Florence Museums: the Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery, one of the world's finest museums, traces its origins to 1560 when Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to plan a large palace with two wings, on the river and almost in the air, to house the Florentine State's administrative and judicial offices (known as "Uffizi").Vasari was also responsible for the building, five years later, of an overhead corridor passing above Ponte Vecchio and the Church of Santa Felicità, to link the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace, the new residence of the Medici family, ending in the Boboli Gardens.

The true nucleus of the gallery, however, was created by Francis I, Cosimo's son, who, after transforming the top floor of the Uffizi into a place where one could stroll, with paintings, statues and other objects of value, commissioned Buontalenti to create a gallery to hold furnishings and works of art.
The same architect was responsible for the Medici Theatre, built in 1586 in the section that is now the first and second floors of the east wing of the museum.
In 1589, Ferdinando I, Francis' brother, had the terrace near the Gallery roofed and closed; it later became the Loggia of the Maps.
At the end of the other wing of the gallery is a hanging garden created above the Loggia dell'Orcagna.

The Uffizi now house a huge artistic heritage consisting of thousands of paintings from medieval to modern times, a great number of antique sculptures, illuminations, and tapestries.
It is also famous for its collection of self-portraits, which constantly grew through new acquisitions and donations of contemporary artists, as well as for another remarkable collection, that of the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints.

Address
Uffizi Gallery
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
Tel. +39 055 2388-651/652
Fax +39 055 2388-699

Opening Times
Tuesday - Sunday: 8.15 - 18.50
Vasari Corridor: For groups by appointment only
Contini Bonacossi Collection: For groups by appointment only

Booking and information
Tel. +39 055 294883 - fax +39 055 264406

Guided Visits
These can be organised by contacting the Education Department of the Curator's Office (055/2388658), or the booking service (055/294883) or authorised private guides.

For more information about the uffizi gallery and the other Florence Museums visit
http://www.firenzemusei.it/

Just a short note to inform you that our bed and breakfast is just 500 metres from the Uffizi Gallery.

A Florence View bed and breakfast Staff
http://www.bed-breakfast-florence.com