November 6, 2024 3:45-6:45PM…read more We initially didn't plan to visit but was told this is a must do in Florence. I'm glad we did. I love art museums and thought this was more religious artifacts but glad to see some of my new favorite paintings in person. Silly me! Upon entering the museum, there a lot of stairs to climb. Get your exercise in for sure! I did see a very tiny elevator a little bit hidden to the side, so they definitely can accommodate those needing accessibility but plan accordingly as the elevator was tiny, probably one stroller/wheelchair at a time. The Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring are both so amazing to see in person. The works of Caravaggio were very powerfully presented. The da Vinci, the Michelangelo, the Raphael... so many great artist and their works are housed here. Lots of Sweet Baby Jesus and the Madonna, various Adam and Eve paintings.. My favorite besides Botticelli's, was from Pietro Perugino's a Portrait of a young man.. the eyes, the emotions, almost the sadness... what a great painting. The various views from the Uffizi Galleries of Florence was also pretty amazing, from Ponte Vecchio, along the Arno River and the view of the city... so glad we went during sunset as I caught some pretty great shots with just my iPhone. I definitely think this is worth the stop and glad to have this as an impromptu visit. Got in pretty quickly without a reservation either, we were very lucky.

The Uffizi Gallery is an absolutely extraordinary museum. It's famous for good reason, the most…read morevisited art gallery in all of Italy, a country not lacking in priceless, important art. The place was built by the Medicis and houses much of the art they collected, all of it given to the city of Florence as the family died off. It's been open to select visitors since the 16th century and to the public since 1769, making it one of the world's first modern museums. We went with a small group tour (provided by Things To Do In, which dealt with the ticketing), and this was 100% worth the added expense. The Uffizi is huge and full of treasures, and our guide's expertise felt pretty essential. We met in the courtyard, which was bustling with tourists at 10AM on a cold, off-season Thursday. The courtyard is notable in its own right, beautiful and historic, with a view of the Arno River. Sculptures of famous artists fill the niches between the columns. Our meeting point was underneath Nicola Pisano. We made our way from there into the Uffizi's grand hallways, works of art in themselves, and lined with statuary. Our tour was an hour and a half long and took us through just a few highlights of the museum, which contains an astonishing collection of Italian Renaissance works. We admired a display of three Italian Madonnas, masterpieces of the 13th and 14th centuries by Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto (our guide's mini lecture on the Giotto will stay with me for a long time). We saw Simone Martini's Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus, with its wtf-no-thank-you Virgin Mary, the Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano, embellished with gold and textiles. I'm ignorant and didn't know what we'd be seeing at the Uffizi and was genuinely surprised to walk into a room and see Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Incredible paintings, and a privilege to see in person. We hit the ninja turtles next: Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation and unfinished Adoration of the Magi; Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, his only surviving finished panel painting; and Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch. Our tour ended there, but we had much more to see, and our guide helpfully told us a few paintings to look out for. The Medici portraits by Agnolo Bronzino, especially the Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni. Titian's Venus of Urbino, a historically significant nude. And three works by Caravaggio: Bacchus, Sacrifice of Isaac, and Medusa, all of them amazing. I also enjoyed the extensive gallery of self-portraits and the temporary exhibition on Florence and Europe in the 18th century. This included some great paintings and sculpture, but without a guide to put them in context, I have to admit the giant stone lion dick made the most lasting impression. We hit the gift shop on our way out, hoping to find a postcard of Florence we could send to our kids. Unfortunately for us, all the postcards were of the gallery's artworks, and we didn't think our three- and five-year-old would get much out of religious paintings or Medusa's decapitated head. I left the Uffizi with a new appreciation for Italian art, and honestly, a sharpened interest in art in general. This was an enriching visit, full of marvels, maybe the best thing we did on our trip to Florence.

You cannot visit Florence without visiting Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David…read more Though I had a tour guide, I felt like the pace was too slow. It's a great museum, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather beat the crowds to see David, and then take my time strolling through all the other works of art. Seeing 17' of David in person is unreal-- a human made this out of rejected marble. The magnitude of David's height and attention to detail is incredible and the lighting under a skylight highlights every vein and definition of muscle even more so. If you're looking for a deep dive art history lesson, I'd recommend using AI. Note: try to book skip-the-line tickets in advance. If you're unable to, you can try to book through a third party booking system such as Viator, but you'll be paying more.

Over a million people visit the Galleria dell'Accademia every year, and they all go to see one…read morething: Michelangelo's David, arguably the most famous statue in the world. The David was sculpted between 1501 and 1504, then unveiled in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, where it stood for almost 400 years. It was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in 1873, and has been the museum's lifeblood ever since. €20 a ticket and more for merch, plus lawsuits for unauthorized use of the David. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. We only had about two days in Florence, one of them set aside for a Tuscan wine tour, but we weren't leaving without seeing the David. Our concierge booked us same-day tickets when we checked into our hotel, and we went at the appointed entry time, at 5:00. The museum was plenty busy, even on a Tuesday during low season, but I believe we visited under ideal conditions. We entered the museum and bam, there was the David, standing majestically in the heart of the Accademia. He was in his own domed alcove lined on one side with bench seating, where people could sit and look up at his giant marble ass. Like everyone else, I'd seen images of the David all throughout my life. But seeing it in person was a revelatory experience. I know size isn't everything, but when it comes to iconic statues chiseled from single blocks of marble, size certainly matters. The David is 17 feet tall and completely breathtaking. A beautiful colossus, every inch of his famously nude body sculpted in wondrous detail. We took advantage of the thin crowd and spent quite some time circling the statue, while also reading about it on Wikipedia from the comfort of the benches. An extraordinary, educational pleasure. The rest of the museum was nice, too, if entirely secondary to the David. There were several other statues and old religious paintings, as well as the Hall of the Prisoners, featuring four unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. These cut a path to the David and were fascinating in their incompletion. Michelangelo apparently saw the work of a sculptor as freeing the forms lying inside each block of stone. This sounds like something an artist would tell a reporter, but looking at those unfinished sculptures, I could see the figures trying to make their way out. The Galleria dell'Accademia is small, and we were in and out in about 40 minutes. If you're a tourist in Florence and have €20 and 40 minutes, I can't imagine a better way to spend them than at David's enormous feet.

Such a beautiful little shop with jewelry, notecards, art, all made by artists in Florence. We…read morebought some hammered gold plated earrings and a ring, some notecards, and plan to go back to purchase some art. The shop owner Elena is lovely and friendly, and shared some tips for local restaurants and sites here in Florence.

I just LOVE this store! Have been coming here for many years ...a must stop every time I visit…read moreFlorence. Has lovely gift items...all unique & made locally. Prices are very reasonable & the owner is very helpful & has great suggestions.

Such a charming shop!…read more This unique gift store in Oltrarno in Florence is packed with delightful curiosities and lifestyle objects. From espresso cups and saucers with drawings of Florence, to whimsical place mats and cushions, each item is crafted with panache. Great for one of a kind souvenirs from Florence, or distinct decorative item for one's own home. One of my new favourite places.

It's a curious shop owned by the renown calligrapher and packaging designer - Betty Soldi. It is…read moreone of the most interesting retail space / cross media studio to check out in the Oltrarno area. Betty's curated home decor items, jewelries and artisanal hand crafted gifts are as unique and whimsical as her calligraphy works. When I was walking through her paper cut filled store, I felt like I was entering Betty's creative mind. I found a lot of unique gifts designed by Betty for myself and friends in the store. Packaging was awesome. Betty personally put the item in the box and sprinkled with confetti for me. She is such a sweet person. All retail shops and art galleries on Via Maggio close between 1 to 3pm. If you got there after 3pm but it's still not open yet, hang around.... Betty or her husband may be just across the street chatting with friends.

We visited the Boboli Gardens and the Palazzo Pitti on our first afternoon in Florence, and what…read morewith the Duomo views and the Medici glamor, it was a nice introduction to the city. The palace was originally commissioned in 1458 by a Florentine banker named Pitti. The Medicis picked it up in 1549, and it remained a ruling class residence until 1919, when it was gifted to the nation and turned into a museum. It's a giant place, literally palatial, with a kind of forbidding, fortress-like aesthetic. Seems like a weird place to live, but what do I know. We walked in on a Wednesday afternoon, and neither the gardens nor the museum were crowded. We started with the Boboli Gardens, which were quite attractive, even in mid-November with nothing in bloom. It felt like a large, inclined park, pleasant to walk, with impressive fountains and tremendous views. There was an empty amphitheater and an ancient Egyptian obelisk. Tons of old statues, including a fenced-off 17th century work called "The Abundance," where we saw a weird lady sneak in to molest the base. We wandered up the garden's main axis and reached the Giardino del Cavaliere, an intricately landscaped walled garden with truly fantastic views. We spent about an hour in the gardens and another hour in the Palatine Gallery, Palazzo Pitti's primary museum space. The gallery contains over 500 paintings, most of them from the Renaissance, a collection that once belonged to the Medicis and their successors. I'm sure we would've gotten more out of the visit had we taken a guided tour, but we did pretty well walking through those endless rooms on our own. We had a good time at the Palazzo Pitti and would recommend it to anyone visiting Florence. Less mandatory than the Uffizi or the Accademia, but a great place to absorb the lavish splendor of the Medicis.

From the front, it doesn't look like much - a standard U shaped brick palace. But what you don't…read morerealize is the majestic, jaw-dropping botanical maze that follows. This place is HUGE, with views beyond what the eye can meet - spanning from Tuscany country side on one end and the city's architecture on the other. After landing at the airport, dropping our bags, we headed straight here and did not regret a minute of the exploration.

Florence is like the birthplace of STEM, so when visiting here, going to the Galileo Museum is a…read moreMUST! Learning of not only Galileo, but his followers who came after him and the benefactors - the Medici family, was inspirational. It made me realize how bravery is foundational to how science evolves a society, and how essential loyal benefactors are to helping with the change. Truly amazing.

In ancient times, to know the time, people used the sundial, a measurement tool based on the…read moredetection of the position of the sun. Sundials had a gnomon, the bar whose shadow marked the time on the dial. Standing outside the Museo Galileo near the Uffizi Gallery at the Palazzo Castellani in Florence, my partner, our friends, family member, and I stumbled on the Monumental Sundial on our way to find an establishment for lunch in September. Originally built in 2007, a tall bronze obelisk constitutes the gnomon of a modern sundial, which casts its shadow on the lines of travertine marble and brass flanked by the signs of the zodiac in glass and marble placed on the ground, indicating time and date. It was visually stunning.