CONTENT

The Uffizi Gallery occupies the top floor of an impressive building erected by Giorgio Vasari between 1560 and 1580. It houses one of the most out standing art collections in the world with superb paintings by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Giotto, Cimabue and Masaccio. It can be overwhelming for families to negotiate the crowds at this legendary museum, yet the thrill of seeing certain iconic paintings can be very memorable for school-age children once they manage to get inside. The collection of ancient statuary is also captivating for kids.  Guided tour of the private passages created in Palazzo Vecchio by the Medicis to escape enemies and move safely. Real history in real places. Inside Palazzo Vecchio there are plenty of rooms where time seems to have stood still and where it is easier for today´s visitors to relive the emotions of the past.  Since 2000 the Museum has made many of these special places accessible to the public but they can only be visited by small groups – max. 12 people – accompanied by an expert guide: Stairway of the Duke of Athens, Studiolo of Francesco I, Tesoretto di Cosimo I, Trusses of the ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento. While all very different one from the other, they offer an unusual and penetrating glimpse of Palazzo Vecchio. The Stairway of the Duke of Athens is an escape route built inside the thick walls of the Palazzo between 1342 and 1343 that exits from a tiny door in Via della Ninna. The Tesoretto and the Studiolo, located one on top of the other next to the Salone dei Cinquecento, are reminiscent of the refined and cultured climate of the Italian courts during the Renaissance and represent one of the most significant examples of the princes´ passion for collecting. The double rows of Vasarian trusses holding up the roof in the Salone dei Cinquecento and the imposing gilded lacunar ceiling of this hall are a perfect expression of the unity between art and science that was typical of the Humanism and Renaissance periods.

DETAILS

• Duration: 6 hours
• Departs: Departure time dependes to availability of tickets. Please advise if it’s preffered pick up in the morning or in the afternoon
• Pick-up/check-in time: 15 minutes prior to departure
• Pick up/Drop off location: Your hotel in Viareggio
• Inclusions: Transportation, driver, entrance tickets to the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Vecchio and private English speaking guide in Florence (3 hours)

NOTES

• Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Days: Daily except Mondays
• Restrictions: It’s forbidden the entrace to Uffizi with any kind of liquid. The first Sunday of each month availability has to be confirmed due to specials event that could be organized in the museum.
Uffizi Gallery are closed on Mondays, January 1, May 1, December 25
Palazzo Vecchio is closed on January 1, Easter, August 15,December 25