If there is one activity that rules them all when you go to Florence it definitely has to be strolling through the amazing museums. With over 70 museums in a city that really isn't that large, I guarantee there is something to wet your museum whiskers and tickle that cultural fancy. Fun fact from my good friend Catie, Florence is home to a fifth of the world's art. We're talking about a city here people, not the entire country of Italy. In just this one glorious city, a fifth of the world's art beckons to people all over the world and dares them to try to ignore its siren call.
I took an amazing Museology (the study of museums) class while I was studying in Florence at the Lorenzo de' Medici International Institute with Carlotta Fuhs. Almost every week our class visited different museums all over the city and got to participate in some of the museum activities. One of the best parts of school growing up, at least for me, were the cool field trips we got to take. These were field trips only previously existing in fantasy. I mean come on people, I got to see Michelangelo's David for class like it was just an everyday thing.
The biggest tip of all when it comes to museums in Florence is to get a museum pass. My school in Florence sold them for about €34 and it gave me free access to all the state run museums. In the long run this is basically like going to the museums, whose entrances can run you upwards to €25 a visit, for FREE. Visit a minimum of 4 museums and you've already paid for the pass. Trust me, you'll want to save this money for eating and drinking while in Italy. Plus, it's like a Disneyland Fast-track pass, you get to skip the lines to purchase tickets and practically go straight to the front to get waived in.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8:15am - 5:50pm, closed Mondays
Tickets: €6,50
The beautiful thing about living in Florence was that seeing the David could literally be an everyday thing if I wanted it to. I lived about an 8 minute, if not less, walk from the Galleria d'Academia where David lives in all his marble glory.
Tip: If you want to beat the massive queue, go to the Accademia about an hour and a half before closing. Also there is absolutely NO picture taking and they're serious about it. The museum has people walking around in both uniform and regular clothes to try and catch people in the act. If you're gonna do it, find a way to be super sneaky or risk major embarrassment when they yell at you and force you to delete (although shhhh, picture below is my own. Stealth status!)
If I felt like it, I just wandered home a different way to take me towards the Accademia, and wandered in for a bit. Now here's the thing: the David isn't the only amazing marvel in the Accademia. There is a whole collection of marble busts and sculptures that is really something to behold as they stare down at you, the cast of statue The Rape of Sabine, as well as a musical instrument wing that is sure to please any musician such as myself.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8:15am - 5:50pm, closed Mondays
Tickets: €6,50
Once the government offices of the Medicis', the Uffizi Gallery is now home to a very wide collection of art pieces and statues. You can see the gods of the art world, from Botticelli to Titian to Caravaggio to da Vinci, all housed in this one museum. The museum is pretty much always full of people as it is one of the must-see destinations in Florence. Being home to pieces like The Birth of Venus and Judith and Holofernes is bound to bring forth the masses.
Don't skip the Niobe Room (Sala della Niobe). There are statues of Niobe and her children in poses that you don’t often think of when you think grand marble statue masterpieces all around the perimeter of the room. But if you know the backstory it makes the room that much more awesome. Niobe claimed to have more children the goddess Leto, who was mother to Apolo and Artemis, and in revenge Leto’s children killed them all. The room itself is magnificent so don’t forget to look up at the ceiling. The ceilings in general in the hallways of the Uffizi is something to not miss in general. The type of painting style is the grotesque style in which the word grotesque derives from. See if you can figure out why.
One of my favorite parts of the Uffizi though has to be the Tribuna deli Uffizi, or the octogonal “Room of Wonders” was designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Francesco I Medici to hold his treasures and prized pieces the Medici had collected and acquired over the years. The room itself is incredible, a tribute to the elements. My favorite part has the be the Mother of Pearl shells that line the dome interior of the room. Talk about a symbol of status and power.
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| Photo courtesy of images.google.com |
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| Photo courtesy of images.google.com |
