Buon Pomeriggio educational travelers!
On Friday, I revealed one of the top museums in all of Italy to visit on your student tour in that week’s edition of photo Friday. In case you missed it, you can view it here.
Today, I hand the reins over to my brother, Matthew, who’ll share with you a little more about this magnificent museum and the superb works of art that call it home.
Florence, Italy is widely considered to be the cradle of the Renaissance. From Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci to Dante Alighieri the list of artisans who lived and worked in this Italian jewel of a city goes on and on. Nowhere is their work more apparent than at the Uffizi Gallery, one of Italy’s premier collections of sculptures, paintings, frescos and masterpieces from the Renaissance era.
The Uffizi stands tall in the heart of Florence, right beside the illustrious Piazza Della Signora and a stone’s throw from the often times crowded Ponte Vecchio bridge. Originally constructed as an office complex (Uffizi is Italian for office) for the Medici family, it was slowly converted for use as a private art museum over the centuries for their growing art collection. In 1765, it was officially opened as an art museum for visitors and has seen numerous student groups pass through its doors.
The Uffizi itself is a marvel to behold what with its gorgeous marble façade, elegant halls, and sweeping rooms. But the real star of the show on any student tour is the art.
Oh and what art it is!
From Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and La Primavera, to Piero Della Francesca’s Portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, and Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, they are all waiting to be viewed by your students on their educational tour to Italy. The halls of this museum are crammed with some of the most gorgeous and influential pieces of art the planet has ever seen. Every corner of the Uffizi marks a new cultural high point or ingenious exploration by the Renaissance’s foremost masters.
Truly, the Uffizi is a venue that should not be missed on your student tour.
If you want to visit the Uffizi Gallery and enjoy its magnificent collection, consider making a reservation and booking ahead of time. Otherwise, prepare to wait in an enormously long line that’s for one of the top two most visited museums in Italy. That’s not all though!
If you want to truly experience a unique adventure, look into exploring the Vasari corridor. While this is done through a private tour, it’s totally worth it to go behind closed doors and explore a section of the museum that is seldom seen by visitors. Perfect for students and teachers, you’ll have the opportunity to travel the corridor itself and learn why it was built. A little insight is that it was built to connect the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace that lay on the other side of the Arno River via a hidden walkway. Truly fascinating if you ask me!
The Uffizi Gallery is one of those rare Italian treasures that were originally intended to not be viewed by the public. However, as time went on, the Uffizi gradually opened its doors to share with the world what had been hiding in plain sight. No educational student tour should miss a trip to the Uffizi Gallery while in Italy, and I hope you’ll enjoy the marvelous Renaissance art that it has to offer all who visit.
Until next time,
Matthew.