Insider's Guide to Florence's Famous Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is the oldest museum of art in the western world, and also one of the best known. Housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, the former home of the city's governmental offices and built after Cosimo I de Medici took over the previous location of the offices, this museum contains an enormous number of famous works of art. An entire room is dedicated to works by Botticelli!

The building of the Palazzo degli Uffizi started in 1560 to create new offices for the magistrates of Florence. The design was made by Giorgio Vasari, and work continued until 1581, creating a long barow courtyard that's open to the Arno at the far end. Because of this configuration, historians tend to treat it as one of Europe's first regularized street scapes.

The continuous cornices of the roof on the matching facades and the unbroken cornices between stories, as well as the steps on which the fronts of the palace stand have been used to emphasize the length and unity of the Palazzo. Niches alternate with columns, and in the nineteenth century were filled with sculptures of some of Italy's most famous artists.

Originally, the Palazzo degli Uffizi brough the Tribunal, administrative offices and state archive under one roof, as well as the best works of art in the collection of the Medici family. Later, even more parts of the Palazzo turned into a display space for sculpture and paintings that the Medicis had either commissioned or collected. Artists gathered at the Uffizi to work and collaborate, and also to relax.

Even after the Medicis went out of power, their art treasures stayed in Florence, making it one of the first modern museums. Open to visitors upon request from the time of its completion, the museum was opened to the public in 1765.

Because of the size of the Uffizi Gallery's collection, some of the works have been transferred to other galleries in Florence in past years. However, a project to expand the museum's exhibition space by more than a hundred percent will allow the public to see many artworks that are usually placed in storage. The gallery was partly flooded in summer of 2007, and water leaked through the ceiling causing visitors to require evacuation.

Currently, the Uffizi Gallery remains one of the city of Florence's most popular tourist attractions. This means that during the busiest seasons, wait time for a ticket can be extremely long - up to five hours or more. Because of this, people who are going to be visiting the Uffizi Gallery should take the time to reserve an advance ticket. Their wait will be much less.

If you're going to be visiting Florence, don't forget to take out enough time to check out the Uffizi Gallery. The works of art there are truly beautiful and worth seeing. Take a look at some of the Florence apartments in the area, as well - they're an excellent place to stay while you're on holiday. Imagine staying in an apartment near the Uffizi - just divine!