The Uffizi Gallery is home to the most important collection of Renaissance paintings in the world.
The Uffizi Palace, built in 1560 during the rule of Grand Duke Cosimo I, was the administrative centre of the state. Here the leading magistrature, or govenors of the city, were housed. The palace, designed by Giorgio Vasari, the Grand Duke’s favorite painter and architect, is considered Vasari’s architectural masterpiece. This u-shaped building made of “pietra serena” (a type of grey sandstone) contrasts beautifully with the white stucco plaster present on the building’s facade.
In 1565, when the Uffizi was near completion, and Cosimo had moved his family to the Pitti Palace, Vasari was instructed to create a private, elevated passageway connecting the Uffizi to Pitti Palace. Today this passageway is known as the Vasari Corridor. The corridor was a secure, convenient way for Cosimo and his family to get from the Government Palace to their new residence independently. We can enjoy a spectacular view of the Corridor from the Gallery’s windows.
The Uffizi tour focuses on the most important Renaissance masters: Giotto, the painter who paved the way for the Renaissance; Filippo Lippi, a friar-painter much admired by Cosimo the Elder. Lippo was also known for being the father of the great painter Filippino Lippi, and also for being the Botticelli’s master.
The harmony between Botticelli’s two most famous paintings, “the Birth of Venus” and “Spring,” both painted for the Medici family, is evident here. At this point, we will explore their intriguing symbolism. We continue on to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation,” created when da Vinci was merely 20 years old. Despite his youth, da Vinci already demonstrates his particular colour shading technique, characterized by subtle transitions between colours, creating an atmospheric haze. We will also enjoy the marvelous “Tondo Doni” by Michelangelo, the only painting in the gallery definitely attributable to the great master. This work is still in its original frame, also designed by Michelangelo. We proceed to a viewing of some of Raphael’s most famous works, the portraits of Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X. We finish our tour with the Venetian painter Titian, official painter to Emperor Charles V, and long considered the most versatile of Italian painters.
The goal of our Uffizi tour is not to rush through the Gallery, but instead to observe selected works in depth, using the Gallery as a visual guide to the history and evolution of Florentine art.
Details:
-Duration: 2 or 3 hours
-The cost for 2 hours visit is € 140
-The cost for 3 hours visit is € 180 up to 4 ppl
-Admission fees: € 15 Uffizi Gallery
- We will make reservations for you
