The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is one of the world’s great art museums, with an extraordinary collection of Italian Renaissance painting. Its U-shaped palace was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1560 and designed by Giorgio Vasari to house government offices—uffizi in Italian. Later Medici rulers turned the upper floor into a gallery for their growing art collection.
The paintings are the main event. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera are especially arresting in person, while Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo and Caravaggio’s Medusa reveal how dramatically Italian art evolved across centuries. Between rooms, the long corridors offer views over the Arno and Ponte Vecchio.
Book tickets online in advance, particularly in the busy spring and summer months, and allow at least three hours for the highlights. The collection is vast, so choose a few artists or periods to focus on rather than trying to see everything. For a break, head to the rooftop café and its terrace overlooking Florence.