Photo by Gyrus

Planning on visiting Florence? Or maybe you have thought about it and you’re not so sure about seeing the Renaissance capital of Italy.

Either way, the Uffizi Gallery enables you to travel back to the 13th century to see artwork done by the masters of Italy. You can stand within the auras of works created by Michelangelo, Raphael, Giotto, and Bernini. It is literally like traveling through time. It is very gothic and very medieval all at the same time, which is great. This just shows how Florence has stayed with its roots.

So what can you expect?

Expect to get up early. You may want to be at the gallery at around 8:30 on your first day in Florence. However, make sure you make a reservation because if you don’t you will not see what the gallery has to hold. You can expect the line to get into the Uffizi gallery to be a mile long and not everyone gets to go in. Without a reservation, being in the line can consume 2 to 3 hours of your day. With a reservation, you don’t have to mess with all of that. You could find yourself inside in less than 5 minutes.

So what makes the Uffizi Gallery special, other than the artwork? Well, this is a gallery that was established by the Medici in 1581. However, it was originally commissioned in 1560 by Cosimo I. The design was by Georgio Vasari. However, despite all of this, it wasn’t until 1765 that the gallery was opened to the public.

So when you step inside, you have to climb three staircases where you are greeted by the busts of the prominent members of the Medici family. This is your first taste of how influential the Medicis were in the Tuscan region. From there, you will begin your tour and your breath will be taken away. Even if you don’t have an appreciation for art, you will be amazed at how well this place takes you back in time and educates you on how incredibly amazing it is that you are there.