The Uffizi: more art and history than anyone can handle.

Today started off a little rough in my Italian class-- I keep finding myself very overwhelmed by the extensive amount of information we are trying to learn in a short time (We're into about 2 weeks of information in two days!). In addition, the teaching style here is very different so it has been a tough adjustment. But, I'm pressing on and hoping for the best tomorrow!
   
A highlight of today was visiting the Uffizi Gallery for the first time! It is incredible how huge the gallery is-- and the fact that it was a private collection of the Medici family blows my mind! We went with an LDM professor who gave us some great insight into a few of the gallery's most famous works. We were there for three hours and only covered maybe 8 exhibition rooms! Unfortunately no photos are allowed in the museum, but here are some fun facts I learned in my tour!

http://www.parkpalace.com/en/florence-a-more-/florence-monuments/26-uffizi-gallery

1. The Uffizi is not just an art gallery-- the building itself is a masterpiece! The grande stairway and the corridor's intricate ceiling work are art in themselves! Plus, the location on the Arno river creates spectacular views out the windows.


2. "Uffizi" translates to "offices" in english. The building was originally built to house government offices but because it was so beautiful the Medici family decided to use it as a  housing for their private collection of art.


3. There are 45 exhibit rooms on the third floor alone! You could easily spend the whole day here if you tried to see everything!


4. When the reign of the Medici family was declining, Anna Maria de' Medici knew that because there were no more male heirs that power was about to be handed over to the Austrians. In her will she declared that all of the art in the Uffizi upon her death would be entitled to the town of Florence. Therefore, the new rulers could not move the collection and it would remain united. Since then, the pieces have only been separated twice in history, once being under Hitler during WWII, but most were returned, making it one of the most extensive collections of art in the world!


5. Once the planned use of the Uffizi as offices was scrapped, Francis I de' Medici decided to turn the corridor into part of a covered walkway for the family to meander from the government buildings in to the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. The Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio were part of this walkway and the indoor parts of it still exist and can be visited for a hefty fee!