MELANCHOLY WATERS: FIRENZE: DAY 1 UFFIZI GALLERY

One of our first planned outings after our arrival in this city was to tour the Uffizi Gallery that houses many great works of art, and more notably the Statue of David and the painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Boticelli. Since photographs are forbidden we did not attempt to take any of these two famous works of art while inside the gallery.

The Uffizi Gallery was built in 1581 with the original design being that of Giorgio Vasari, one of the leading painters and architects during the 15th century. The space was originally intended for offices and to host bureaucratic meetings for various magistrates as apposed to holding masterpieces as it is today. The gallery is an extraordinary container of paintings that embrace a historical period from the 1200's until today, and a geographic space that comprises beyond Italy many European regions.

It is highly recommended to book a tour in advance to this gallery as there are many curious tourists and guided groups that flock to this site all year round.We ended up booking our visit last minute and it cost us a little more than usual, which in the end was worth the 20 extra euros each. To book your visit click here.

The square inside the gallery building was full of amateur artists with their easels set-up. Most of them just had to work on display and others were actually painting. None of the work really appealed to use so we did not purchase anything.