UFFIZI, Tribunal

Your tour continues with a group of halls (from 16 to 24) that may not be too big, but have an important historical significance: they are set up almost exactly as they were four centuries ago.

It starts with the Tribunal, which was designed at the end of the 16th century to display the treasures of the Medici collections with the utmost brilliance. Over the centuries it has continued to be a treasure chest, although its main paintings have been moved to other rooms. You will be struck by the richness of the furnishings and the furniture covered in pietra dura panels, and you'll fully appreciate the spectacle of the antique sculptures amidst the mid-16th century paintings, including various portraits of the Medici family by Agnolo Bronzino. In the middle you can admire the marble Venus de' Medici, a Roman copy of a first century BC original by Prassitele. But don't just look straight ahead, look up! You'll see that the vaulted ceiling is covered with a magnificent motif of mother-of-pearl shells.

Your tour continues with various rooms dedicated to Renaissance painting from between the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1600s from different Italian and foreign schools, with paintings small in size but of extraordinary quality. Here, just to name two, you can take in all the charm of the paintings by Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione.

The passage through the short corridor at the end of the wing gives you the opportunity for a break and to take in the beauty of the panorama. Peel your eyes off of the series of masterpieces for a moment to enjoy the pleasure of this "gallery with a view", especially its splendid landscape including the Oltrarno hills, with the beautiful Romanesque church of San Miniato al Monte on the left....