Florence 2018: Uffizi Gallery

It was a rainy day in Florence as we got in line at the Uffizi Gallery. Thankfully the entry lines at the Uffizi are shielded from the rain and our Firenze Passes meant we could use the reservation line rather than the general ticket line to get in. Once we got through the gallery’s security checkpoint we went up the stairs and started our tour. The Uffizi used to hold the offices of the magistrates who managed the city but over time it steadily transformed into an exhibit of all the art that the Medici family accumulated. In 1865 it officially became a museum that was open to the public and today the Uffizi is one of the most popular art galleries on the planet. Despite having visited the Uffizi twice beforehand I had forgotten just how much art the gallery holds and my parents and I would spend over two hours in there. A ton of stuff that you’ve likely seen in art history or European history books is in the Uffizi, with the most notable works such as Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus being on the upper level. People seem to skip over much of the art on the lower level, which I can understand since after seeing all the wonders of the upper level you might be feeling overwhelmed, but if you’re not on a tight schedule there’s some good stuff in there too.