Why the Uffizi Gallery is special
This celebrated museum is Florence, Italy has an unrivaled collection of Italian Renaissance masterpieces.

Famous paintings
The many world famous paintings in the Uffizi Gallery include Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (see photo), Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation", Michelangelo's "Holy Family", Raphael's "Madonna with a Goldfinch" and Titian's "Venus of Urbino".

Chronological presentation
The artworks are displayed in a time-line sequence, which gives visitors a feeling for the evolution of Renaissance art.

History of the gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is closely linked with the rich Medici Family who ruled the region for centuries. They constructed the Uffizi building in the mid-1550s to house government administrative offices ("uffizi" in Italian, hence the museum's name).
The Medicis were avid fine art collectors. They began converting parts of the Uffizi building into a gallery for their acquisitions. The Medici art collection grew with each successive generation into thousands of glorious artworks.
In 1737, the last of the powerful Medicis bequeathed to the public her family's entire art collection.

What leading travel books say about the Uffizi Gallery
The extraordinary wealth of the Uffizi collection makes one visit insufficient.
Italy
Lonely Planet

The Uffizi is one of the world's greatest galleries.
Europe
Insight Guides