Highlights In And Around Italys’ Beautiful City
The Uffiza Gallery in Florence along with the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, is one of the oldest and most famous art galleries of the western world. It was built in 1581 by request of Granduca Francisco de’ Medici, son of Cosimo I. The original design was by Giorgio Vasari, one of the leading painters and architects during the 15th century. In 1584, the magnificent Octagonal Platform, also known as ‘Tribuna Ottagonale’, was built by Vasari’s successor Buontalenti. The unusual cosmological structure consists of a weathercock which which connects to various pointers. There is a fantastic octagonal table preserved since 1589, which still sits in the middle of the room. On the other side of the building was the Foundry, or pharmacy, where they would distil medicines, scents and in days gone by, poisons.
The Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence. In high season (July) waiting times can be up to five hours, so it is always worthwhile to get an advance ticket. In the Uffizi, you can find works from Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and Giotto to name a few. Its seen some action in its time, specifically 3 pieces of art were destroyed, in the 1990’s and over 30 pieces were damaged by an indendary device. After the blast thirty institutions including the J. Paul Getty Trust and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, offered assistance to help get the Gallery back on its feet and it continues to be a huge tourist destination.
There are plenty of other legendary sites of interest in Florence; the Bapistry, for instance, is one of the oldest buildings in the city – or take river trip and see the bridge over the River Arno. And although Pisa may have the big stars for a tourist attraction, there’s Lucca, a nearby medieval city. Get to the edge of town for wonderful views over the Tuscan countryside. Nearby villages such as San Gimignano with its 13th Towers is also a sight to be savoured.
Maria loves her art and will be staying in the heart of it in apartments in florence when visiting the Uffizi Gallery later this year.