UFFIZI, Palace

I'll briefly summarize the history of the Uffizi building: the palace was built next to Palazzo Vecchio in 1560 by Giorgio Vasari to accommodate the government's "administrative offices", but also to become the first and most prestigious part of the long pathway that led to Palazzo Pitti, where the Grand Dukes had moved their residence. Even today, a small bridge connects Palazzo Vecchio with the Uffizi.

Vasari was an architect, painter, and writer, and he created a masterpiece: he had some buildings demolished, including a church, and designed a long, narrow square surrounded on three sides by a series of steps and the porticoes of the new palace, which has two floors with high arches. The short side facing the Arno River was designed as a spectacular panoramic loggia. In the 1800s the exterior decorations were enriched with twenty-eight large statues of illustrious Florentines: you can see them above in the niches.

Even before you enter the Gallery's collections, the Uffizi will captivate you from the ground floor....