The Unique Union of Giorgio Vasari's Genius and the Medici Family's Patronage - in One of the World's Finest Museums

The fourteenth century and the Renaissance art is contained here, between the walls of one of the most famous museums in the world, known for its outstanding collection of paintings and antique statues: the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.  http://www.uffizi.firenze.it
Its typical architecture has no match for other buildings of the Sixteenth century and testifies the greatness of a unique and fruitful epoch.
Built under the will of the Grand Duke Francesco the First, and by the hand of the great architect Giorgio Vasari, the Gallery is like a crown at the top floor of this majestic building of the Uffizi (the name itself, “offices” in Italian, is a homage to the original function of the structure, having been used as administrative office of Medici family). 
This loggia, enriched year by year with masterpieces, is the proof of love for Art by the numerous representatives of the Medici family, whose members were passionate collectors of paintings, sculptures, and various objects. They have been succeeded by the Lorraine Family and then by the Italian State and both, over the centuries, have continued the great work of valorisation and expansion of the Gallery.
The visit in the spacious halls of the Gallery is a constant source of wonder: classical sculptures, tapestries, furnitures and, above all, masterpieces of painting (from the art of the Fourteenth century to the Renaissance one, reaching up the Eighteenth century).
It is thus possible to admire, among others: “The Adoration of the Magi” by Gentile da Fabriano, “The Battle of San Roman” by Paolo Uccello, “Ruccellai Madonna” by Duccio di Buoninsegna, “Maestà of Santa Trinità” by Cimabue, “Ognissanti Madonna” by Giotto, “The Duke and Duchess of Urbino” by Piero della Francesca, “Portinari Triptych” by Hugo Van Der Goes, “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” by Botticelli, “Adoration of the Magi” by Lonardo da Vinci, “the Doni Tondo” by Michelangelo, the “Madonna del Cardellino” by Raffaello, “Venus of Urbino” by Tiziano, “Bacchus” by Caravaggio.
The masterpieces displayed, pay tribute not only to Italian art: in 1565, in fact, Vasari made build a passageway (the so-called Vasari Corridor), with the function to connect Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti, that once was residence of the same family, passing through the Uffizi Gallery and crossing Ponte Vecchio (litt. “old bridge”). Vasari, in fact, also decorated the walls of this corridor with works by Guido Reni, Carracci and Artemisia Gentileshi. Furthermore, the presence of important collections of German, Dutch and Flemish painter's works, like Durer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Velazquez, as well as the famous collection of self-portraits, bring even more value to this already beautiful place.
This innovative architectural structure appears as a suspended passage: it is 1 km long and rather narrow. Its scenic view on Arno river and on the Church of Santa Felicita is simply breathtaking. Actually, you can see from the corridor the inner part of the church, exactly how the members of the Medici Family that were used to assist to the various activities held in that place. Along one of the walls, there is a window that takes to the place where once there was the private stage of the Family. Giorgio Vasari, which not only was the favourite artist by Medici family, but also the key figure of the initiatives promoted by the family of Florence, he left with the Uffizi Gallery, a precious mark of his artistic versatility. It is needless to say that a visit to Uffizi Gallery is a must for those who wish to experience the richness of Italian heritage.