The city of Florence has a rich architectural and art heritage, which is preserved in its elegant piazzas (squares), Renaissance palazzi (palaces), and a host of art galleries / museums. Here, we have reviewed five major museums of Florence, where you can browse through drawings, paintings and sculptures created by famous artists.
The Accademia Gallery houses the statue of David - a marble statue of young shepherd mentioned in Bible, the St. Mathew, the Prisoners and other masterpieces by Michelangelo. The collection also includes religious paintings, gold-ground paintings, gothic polyptychs, plaster sculptures by Pampaloni-infant figures, Bartolini’s artwork and paintings selected for the Accademia di Belle Arti’s various painting competitions conducted from 1794 to 1868.
The Museum of San Marco in Dominican monastery epitomizes Florentine Renaissance style of architecture. Paintings by Fra Angelico such as the Annunciation and stories from the life of Christ, the Last Judgment and the Silver Wardrobe are exhibited here. The Library has a rich collection of choir books from Renaissance and Middle Ages. The museum, located at Piazza San Marco, also exhibits fragments of the city buildings destroyed in the 19th century and the sculptures that adorned the buildings.
The National Museum of Bargello boasts a noteworthy collection of artwork and Renaissance sculptures, such as the best works of Cellini, Donatello, Luca della Robbia and Michelangelo. It also houses textiles, furniture, tapestries, amber, seals, medals and much more from the Medici collection. The museum, located in the Palace of the Capitain of the People at Via del Proconsolo, displays Drunken Bacchus, the Madonna and Child with St. John, the marble statue of David-Apollo, glazed terracotta pieces- the Nativity and Tuscan works.
The Palatina Gallery, located on the first floor of the Pitti Palace , offers the Medici collection of paintings created by the European master painters of the Baroque and Renaissance periods such as Raphael, Rubens and Titian. The gallery is known for its sumptuous painting frames, fresco decoration and use of rich plaster in the rooms.
The Uffizi Gallery, a popular museum of paintings and sculptures, features masterpieces of Renaissance and Primitive style paintings such as works created by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt and Durer. The Collection of Prints and Drawings, and the Contini Bonacossi Collection also grace the walls of the gallery. A passageway between the gallery and the Pitti Palace is adorned with self-portraits and paintings created in the 17th century.
Hotels in Italy
Hotel L’Orologio, Florence
Average Price of a Double Room: € 150
Guest Rating: 9.7
H2C Hotel Milanofiori – Assago, Milan
Average Price of a Double Room: € 99
Guest Rating: 9.6
Hotel Classic – Florence
Average Price of a Double Room: € 78
Guest Rating: 8
Hotel Miramare Continental Palace – Sanremo
Average Price of a Double Room: € 60
Guest Rating: 7
Guest House Town House Spagna – Rome
Average Price of a Double Room: € 140
Guest Rating: reviews on TripAdvisor
Adagio City Aparthotel Garden – Rome
Average Price of a Double Room: € 75
Guest Rating: 8.2
Hotel Val di Colle Dimora Storica – Bagnoro, Arezzo
Average Price of a Double Room: € 169
Guest Rating: 8.8
Photo by Andrea Maticevic
22 responses to “Discovering the Five Major Museums of Florence, Italy”
Report an inappropriate commentApril 19th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
http://www.vivoli.it/ Gelato at Vivoli!
April 19th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Is everything
April 19th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
… my PB from Firenze Marathon 2010!
April 19th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
The original sculpture of David by Michaelangelo
April 19th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Walking form the Uffizi to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Beautiful walk up hill.
April 19th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
giardino del Boboli
April 19th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Feeling at home the instant I get off the train.
April 19th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Sempre giovane David…
April 19th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Everything, but especially Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. I could stand in front of both for hours!!!
April 19th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
waiting for 2 years to go there …
April 19th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
her music & lovely red hair!
April 19th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Everything…….
April 19th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I am lucky to have been to ALL of these museums and more when I spent precious time in Firenze in Fall 2006 & 2007! The Medici Tombs and the Carmine churches across the River Arno! Glorious! The Brunelleschi Dome I climbed up the 473 steps to the top and looked out to Fiesole and the Appenines Mountains! More too! I have many Native Italian friends there and will be back soon! The feelings I have for the undulating landscape, the delectable food, wines, people, rich his/herstory, the warmth of the terra cotta buildings, preservation & valuation of the soul of Italy gives me comfort & peace. Of these museums I prefered the Bargello. When I was there I saw Donatellos’ David the bronze being refurbished. Ciao bella!
April 19th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
sunset photography from Michelangelo Park (across the Arno)
April 19th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Lemon gelato~!
April 19th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Standing on the Ponte vecchio(golden bridge) and watching the sunset over Arno river.This is a very old bridge.
April 19th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Piazzale Michelangelo, Capella Medici, Uffizi, Il Porcospino
April 19th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Piazza Michelangelo
April 20th, 2011 at 12:53 am
Gelato di Grom .. Grom … Grom
April 20th, 2011 at 3:51 am
Vivoli, Piazzale Michaelangelo, Uffizi, David by Michaelangelo, Italian espresso, the bags…. Everything Firenze!
April 20th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Santa Croce
April 21st, 2011 at 8:17 am
Ponte vecchio!!
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