The Uffizi Galleries hold one of the world’s most important collections of Renaissance art, spanning room after room of masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo in the heart of Florence.
The building was constructed starting in 1560 by Giorgio Vasari as government offices for Cosimo I de’ Medici — “uffizi” means “offices” in Italian — and the Medici family’s private art collection was gradually installed and later bequeathed to the city, forming the core of today’s museum.
Tickets sell out fast in high season, so book a timed entry well in advance and arrive between 8 and 10 AM; most visitors spend 2 to 3 hours moving through the galleries.