The Uffizi, la quarta volta e un incanto…

Waiting in line at the Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi, fourth time is a charm…  Yesterday, I finally made it into the Uffizi Gallery!  During my previous three trips, the timing and availability never worked out, but this time it did.  Still being in the off season helped a lot, as the Uffizi is famous for it’s long lines and hours of waiting to get in.  It took only 60 minutes for us, pretty good in Uffizi terms.  ;-)  Well, it was worth the wait!  (For anyone visiting, you can reserve tickets online.  It doesn’t eliminate the wait, but can reduce it significantly.)  The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most well known museums in the world and a top tourist attraction in Florence.  It was completed in 1581 for the Medici family offices (Uffizi).  The gallery has been officially open to the public since 1765 and I’ve read that during peak season, the wait can be as long as 5 hours.  Wow…

Leonardo da Vinci, Drapery Study

They don’t allow pictures to be taken inside the gallery, but I did manage to sneak a couple on my iPhone.  One pic I had to get, it was one of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drapery studies.  As some of you know, I’ve long been inspired by da Vinci, to the extent that the color and texture of my professional website pays homage to his amazing codex.  I never get tired of viewing his work, especially in person, it’s truly amazing to be so close to these historic works.  It’s very powerful for me, the vibe and energy is palpable…

View of the Arno from the Uffizi

As we made our way through the collection it’s just one masterpiece after another of course.  You can kind of go into sensory overload, by the end of the tour, there were three Rembrandt works that I almost missed.  I was like, oh yeah, there’s a few more masterpieces…  And then I said, oh no those are Rembrandt, I almost missed him!  :-0  It was wonderful to see his self portrait.

One of the ceilings at the Uffizi Gallery

During the tour and on our way out, I wanted to be sure to take in the actual structure as well.  The building of course is beautiful, with ornately adorned ceilings, moldings, walls, everything.  The detail and work I saw all around me was really inspiring.  A great experience, I’m glad I finally made it in!