Semi-private tour of the Uffizi Gallery

Be prepared to admire some of the world’s most beautiful works of art, during museum hours and without long lines of people. As you walk through the rooms of this amazing place, you’ll travel through history, from the 14th century with works by Giotto and Cimabue, through the 16th century with famous names like Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli, to the modern and contemporary era with Caravaggio, Gherardo delle Notti and many others.

Inside Europe’s oldest museum, currently one of the most visited places in the world, you can relive historical periods that were born in Florence.

We are talking about the Renaissance, which awaits you inside the Uffizi Galleries. Originally conceived by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and built by Giorgio Vasari, the Uffizi Galleries were designed to house the offices of the magistracy at the time of the Medici family, while today they are undoubtedly one of the most important and enchanting art exhibition venues in the world. Traces of this original office function can be seen on the outside of the building: in fact, you may notice a small corridor connecting Palazzo Vecchio, the place of government and power, to the second floor of the Uffizi.

You will admire unique rooms with ceilings finely decorated with Grotesques, wonderful decorations discovered in the Roman Domus Aurea, throughout the second floor, also called Piano Nobile. You will be captivated by La Tribuna, an octagonal structure that was originally intended to hold priceless treasures from the Medici collections. That is why it is adorned with six thousand mother-of-pearl shells from the Indian Ocean, as desired by Francesco I de’ Medici and carried out by Buontalenti.

Together with your guide and in the tranquility of the early morning light, you can relax as you stroll toward the Uffizi and its masterpieces, such as Botticelli’s Venus, Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, or Caravaggio’s Head of Medusa, to name a few.

To describe in a few words the experience of a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery is not an easy task: the Gallery must be experienced fully, because the emotions you will feel during this two-hour visit will be priceless and unique. You will feel overwhelmed by beauty, immersed in an emotion that only Art and human ingenuity can offer you.

All this in the company of an experienced guide who will explain all the details of the works that escape a superficial visit. You will be able to listen to the intrigues, secrets and legends that surround this place and the works preserved in it. To name just one, you will be able to discover the legend of Michelangelo and his remuneration for painting the Tondo Doni.

What to expect:

Sandro Botticelli

The Uffizi Gallery holds the largest collection of paintings by Alessandro Filipepi, aka Sandro Botticelli.
In the halls of the Uffizi, you will admire paintings of inestimable beauty.
You will be captivated by The Spring, where the wind Zephyr chases the nymph Clori to marry her and transform her into Flora, while the Three Graces, Cupid, and Mercury take part in the scene.
You will also be enraptured by the refined elegance of Venus. A marvelous painting recounting an episode in the myth of the Goddess of Beauty, namely her arrival on the Island of Cyprus.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti handed down works of masterful artistry to posterity. Known for marvelous statues and the Sistine Chapel, Buonarroti was also a renowned painter. The Uffizi houses one of his most beautiful paintings for you to admire: the Tondo Doni. Together with your tour guide you will discover the story of fame and money behind the depiction of the Holy Family.

Leonardo Da Vinci

We cannot fail to mention Leonardo Da Vinci, considered one of the greatest geniuses of the Renaissance. Despite his Tuscan origins, Leonardo da Vinci worked at courts throughout Italy and Europe. We can find examples of his ingenuity and talent also inside the Uffizi Galleries, which hold three exceptionally beautiful paintings produced by Leonardo’s skilled hands. Just think of the Adoration of the Magi that you will admire during the visit. This is one of his unfinished works, since during its completion he had to leave for the court of Ludovico il Moro in Milan.

Caravaggio

The master of the “study of reality” and the use of light finds a home in the Uffizi Galleries with distinctive and exciting works rich in detail. You will admire the head of Medusa, discover the legend of the myth that inspired this shield, and be enchanted by Bacchus, another ancient god who will look at you with a peculiar gaze.