Exploring Accademia Gallery in Florence
With the arrival of spring, that desire to travel and explore Italy returns to us: we decided to tell you about the beauties of our country starting from the Cradle of the Renaissance, specifically by telling you about the Accademia Gallery.
The Accademia Gallery was founded in 1784 by the will of Pietro Leopoldo, Grand Duke of Tuscany to efficiently organize the space of the Academy of Fine Arts. In fact, it immediately became a museum where important works from many churches in the surrounding area belonged.
In 1882, after the construction of the Tribune was completed, the most famous statue in the world was transferred there, namely Michelangelo’s David. Previously, the statue was in Piazza della Signoria, but to save it from harassment and bad weather, it was kept inside this structure, built in order to house the work in all its magnificence.
Now we are ready: fasten your seat belts and let’s start our tour!
1. MEETING POINT
We begin our guided tour from the meeting point with our guide. We are, in fact, in front of Palazzo Alfani, via Ricasoli 49.
It is an old and ancient residence, now used for hospitality purposes. We recommend that all our guests wait for the guide here and not go to the ticket office or entrance: you risk waiting in vain and losing precious time on your tour.
As soon as all the participants are ready, with the ticket in hand (please, don’t lose it!), Here is a small introduction to the museum we are about to visit!
We can then get in line in the section dedicated to the reserved entrance. Do not worry, the wait is short, it depends exclusively on what we will have to face now, that is:
2. SECURITY CHECKS AT THE ENTRANCE
These are essential for a safe and pleasant visit. First of all, you need to measure the temperature and check the Super Green Pass.
We remind you that, to date, to visit Italian museums it is necessary to have a reinforced Super Green Pass. For more information about this certification and how to obtain it, click HERE. However, the use of masks is mandatory inside the museum: we recommend that you have a spare FFP2 mask with you!
In a second place, we will go through a metal detector and pass our bags on the special belt. Remember to notify security if you are pregnant or have a pacemaker: you will not have to go through the metal detector and you will be checked in another way.
We remind you that knives, scissors, and dangerous metal objects are not allowed inside the Gallery. Attention: the bottles of water allowed are half-liter ones.
Here, once we have passed the checks, we are ready to start!
3. MUSEUM OF INSTRUMENTS
The first surprise that the Accademia Gallery reserves for us is a very special museum: it is the Museum of Musical Instruments.
This wing of the museum, called the Department of Musical Instruments, was inaugurated in 2001.
Inside it is possible to admire about fifty musical instruments, all coming from the collections of the lords of Florence: among the latter, you can admire ancient musical instruments owned by the Medici or Lorraine families.
There are unique works within this section: just think of the Psalter or the Harpsichord that are exhibited here. We can even contemplate an authentic Stradivarius: just think, it’s still possible to play it!
4.HALL OF THE COLOSSUS
In this room stands the model of the Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna. You can, in fact, admire this statue very closely. This is one of the few models of the sixteenth century, made in 1: 1 scale. Its marble version can be seen at the Loggia dei Lanzi, located in Piazza della Signoria.
In this room, you can also lose yourself among the many paintings on display: starting from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, they will accompany you on a journey among the great names in painting. You will find unique works by Taddeo Gaddi, Filippino Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo.
5. HALL OF PRISONS
You can already see in the background the real attraction of this museum, the David, but this gallery can only leave you speechless. Here you can be thrilled with the prisons, that is some statues from Michelangelo’s cycle of unfinished ones, originally intended to decorate the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. Observe them carefully: what emotions does their raw marble transmit to you?
But we reveal a curiosity: in the sixteenth-century marble was very expensive. What was done to “save”? It used ancient marble already used. In fact, try looking on the back of these statues; surely you will be able to find the one that has Romanesque motifs on its back.
6. DAVID
But here we are at the real attraction of this museum. You will see it soaring in front of you: we are talking about Michelangelo’s masterpiece, namely David!
The sculpture was created between 1501 and 1504, entirely in marble and with a phenomenal height: 5 meters and 10 centimeters. This statue embodies a large part of the history of the Florentine city. In fact, it was commissioned by Michelangelo to be exhibited at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio. It served to remind all visitors how strong the city of Florence was.
Let’s take a moment to admire the perfection of this statue. A young boy, handsome, with sweet features that transmit immense strength and independence. It exactly depicts the biblical hero of David, who fought against the giant Goliath, coming out victorious from the battle.
What remains to say except that we are waiting for you on the guided tour with the entrance ticket to the Accademia Gallery!
Our guides will be able to entertain you for a pleasant hour to discover this wonderful place, where it seems that time has stopped!
English 
Italian