The U-Shaped Hall. 🏛️
Originally built as "Offices" (Uffizi) for the Medici magistrates. Now, it holds the world's most important collection of Renaissance paintings.
Botticelli's Venus
*The Birth of Venus*. It is brighter and larger than you expect. She floats on a scallop shell, arriving in Tuscany. It was the first large-scale nude painted since antiquity.
The Strategy
Do not just wander. Start at the top floor (the oldest art) and work your way down. The hallways themselves, painted with "grotesque" frescoes, are masterpieces.
The Giant. 🗿
Michelangelo was 26 when he carved this. He took a block of marble ("The Giant") that two other sculptors had ruined and abandoned, and liberated David from inside it.
The Veins
Look closely at his right hand. The veins are bulging. He is not posing; he is pumping adrenaline, moments before fighting Goliath.
The Eyes
Walk around to the side. His eyes are darting to the left, towards Rome (the enemy at the time). The pupils are carved in heart shapes to catch the light.
The Slaves
Lining the hallway to David are the *Prisoners*—unfinished statues by Michelangelo. They look like they are struggling to break out of the stone.
The Prince's Path
Above the Crowds
Vasari Corridor. 🌉
The Medici didn't want to walk in the dirty streets with commoners. So they built a 1km long private aerial hallway connecting their office (Uffizi) to their home (Pitti Palace).
Ponte Vecchio Views:
It runs along the top of the Ponte Vecchio shops. If you look up from the bridge, you'll see the small round windows. Access is restricted and requires a special ticket, but seeing it from the outside explains the city's power structure.
Modern Subversion. 🛑
Florence isn't dead. Look at the traffic signs. A local French artist, Clet Abraham, modifies them with removable stickers.
The Signs
A "Do Not Enter" sign becomes a man carrying a heavy bar. A "One Way" arrow becomes a guitar. It is witty, illegal-ish, and totally accepted by the city.
The Studio
Visit his studio in the Oltrarno (Via dell'Olmo). You can buy stickers and prints. It is a reminder that art in Florence didn't stop in 1600.