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Showing posts with label Uffizi Gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Uffizi Gallery. Show all posts

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Skip the Line: Florence Accademia and Uffizi Gallery Tour

Explore Florence's two must-visit art museums - the Accademia and Uffizi galleries - on this Florence combo tour! Start with a morning skip-the-line access and guided tour of the Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia) to see Michelangelo's statue of 'David' as well as other treasures, and then spend four hours at leisure (or select the option that includes lunch), either roaming the rooms of the gallery or strolling around the city before your next tour.

In the afternoon, skip the lines of the Uffizi Gallery, and explore it on a walking tour. Learn about the famous Renaissance artists of Italy and see highlights like Leonardo da Vinci's ‘Annunciation.'

Accademia Gallery (1 hour and 15 minutes):
Start outside the Accademia Gallery, and then head past the entrance lines with your skip-the-line ticket and guide. As you walk, listen to stories about the bounty of artwork contained inside the gallery's walls. Works by Michelangelo are given pride of place, and your guide's commentary focuses on the artist. Admire his unfinished sculptures - Prigioni and San Matteo - and then gaze in awe at the statue of David that dominates the central gallery.

Created by Michelangelo when he was just in his twenties, David was sculpted just after he carved La Pietà. Made from local Carrara marble, the statue of the nude biblical hero is incredible with life-like muscles carved to precision. Explore rooms that showcase works by Botticelli and Lippi, and learn about the characteristics of Renaissance art that are prevalent throughout the gallery.

After your tour finishes, spend four hours at leisure or you can choose to end this part of the tour with lunch at a restaurant in the town center (optional). Remain inside the gallery if you wish.

Uffizi Gallery (1 hour and 30 minutes):
Meet your guide and head inside with your skip-the-line ticket, and start exploring the gallery's treasure trove of art. Housed in a large horseshoe-shaped building, the Uffizi Gallery's history is as fascinating to hear about as the works inside it. Built as Florence's judiciary offices, the palace was decorated with fine art by the ruling Medici family. After their dynasty fell in the 18th century, the palace was opened to the public and has remained popular ever since.

Like the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery's claim to fame is its wealth of Renaissance artwork, and your guide will talk you through its most interesting rooms. Admire early Renaissance treasures by Giotto, and then stroll through halls dedicated to Michelangelo, da Vinci, Caravaggio and Raphael - artists regarded as masters of their time. Learn about highlights like da Vinci's Annunciation and Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, and then explore the gallery's upper level to see Caravaggio's works.

Your tour finishes inside the gallery, but you can stay inside for another hour to browse the art independently.

Special Offer - Book the combo of the 'Tour Only' option and save 7% compared to booking tickets to the two museums individually. - Book Now!

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Friday, September 7, 2012

Skip the Line: Small Group Florence Uffizi Gallery Walking Tour

Take a small group walking tour of the Uffizi Gallery, and jump the queue by booking ahead. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 20 people ensuring you'll receive personalized attention and audio headsets guarantee that you'll hear the guide clearly. And by booking ahead, you won't waste any time waiting in line!

Walk in wonder as you bypass the crowds and skip the long lines on a guided walking tour through the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world's oldest and most famous art galleries. Situated in the historic center of Florence, the Uffizi Gallery houses a renowned collection of well preserved paintings and sculptures from the likes of Giotto, Botticelli, da Vinci, Perugino, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Vasari.

Admire Botticelli's Renaissance inspired works including The Birth of Venus' and Primavera' while you're guide provides expert commentary via your personal audio headset. Stroll opulent corridors gazing at art and architecture from the Medieval and Modern ages, then debate and compare the masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci with those of Michelangelo.

There's plenty to absorb including fascinating stories about the lives of the artists, celebrated architects and the wealthy patrons who contributed to the Uffizi Gallery's extensive collection.

Conclude your captivating walking tour on the gallery's rooftop terrace. From here, enjoy a bird's eye view of Piazza degli Uffizi, the most significant political center of Renaissance Florence.

Click here for more information and to book this tour or for more Italy Tours, Travel & Activities.

Skip the Line: Boboli Gardens with Vasari Corridor Tour, Florence

See the Vasari Corridor and Boboli Gardens in one afternoon in Florence! Following in the footsteps of 15th-century aristocrats, walk through the Vasari Corridor - the city's secret passageway - on a guided tour. Learn of the clandestine meetings and dastardly dealings that took place in this intriguing walkway, and see the beautiful Renaissance art that graces its walls. Your tour finishes in Boboli Gardens, where you will skip the entrance lines with your fast-track ticket and spend the afternoon exploring the gardens at leisure.

Built in the 1540s, the Vasari Corridor was created as a hidden walkway that connected Pitti Palace to the Uffizi Gallery on the other side of the River Arno. The Grand Duke of Florence (Cosimo I) commissioned it to be built in honor of his son's wedding; however it's believed there were other motives for its creation. A popular tale is that the anti-social duke simply wanted a secret walkway to avoid his enemies on the streets!

After meeting your guide by Pitti Palace, start your tour by looking at the fascinating corridor from the outside. Incredibly, it was built in just five months, and you'll really gain an appreciation of the hard work and toil that went into its creation as you stroll along the Ponte Vecchio - Florence's famously old bridge - before heading into the Ufizzi Gallery to enter the corridor itself.

Split into three distinct sections, the Vasari Corridor is an art lover's delight, containing an array of Renaissance paintings, sculptures and portraits. As you walk through the corridor, following the walkway back across the bridge (the route known as the 'Prince's Itinerary'), your guide will explain the stunning art collections to you. See 17th- and 18th-century paintings by Italian artists and pass the world's largest collection of self-portraits while walking above the Ponte Vecchio.

The corridor ends near the Boboli Gardens, and your guide will point you in the right direction to enter them. Head past the queues with your skip-the-line ticket and then spend as much time as you want, relaxing at leisure in this elegantly tranquil park.

Click here for more information and to book this tour or for more Italy Tours, Travel & Activities.