The Accademia Gallery is certainly one of the best attractions in Florence. Known as one of the best known and most important museums in Italy, it is a real sacred temple of the Renaissance . Fourth museum in Italy for number of visitors, it attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to the famous “David” by Michelangelo, but obviously it holds many other wonders not so celebrated. Therefore, we provide you with all the necessary precautions so that you arrive prepared at the entrance of this famous jewel, more unique than rare.
What to see and how to visit the Accademia Gallery
To access the Gallery, use the single entrance on Via Ricasoli 58-60 and it is divided into the following rooms: Sala del Colosso, Galleria dei Prigioni, the Tribuna that houses the David, the Gipsoteca Bartolini, the 13th and 14th century ones and the Museum of musical instruments. Experts recommend planning an itinerary of at least two hours to enjoy as many works as possible and therefore make a complete reflection on the artistic and cultural richness of this very important permanent exhibition.
Here are the 10 things to see absolutely.
1 – Michelangelo’s David
Photo by Jorg Bittner Unna. Great interpretation of the biblical scene, it was created by Michelangelo Buonarrotti at the age of 26 and is emblematic of the figure of the man-hero inspired by the classical aesthetic canons typical of the Renaissance era. The statue represents the victory of moral reason over irrational brute force.
- Date Created : 1504
- Author : Michelangelo Buonarrotti
- Dimensions : 410 cm
- Technique of the work : sculpture made of white Carrara marble
2 – Michelangelo’s Slaves
Photo by Michelangelo. We are talking about: The “Young Slave”, the “Waking Slave”, the “Bearded Slave” and “Atlas”. The four male nude figures are presented in various stages of execution following the classic setting of the opposite: they rest their weight on one leg, writhing in various poses of the torso and shoulders and the peculiarity that makes them unique is given by the fact that they are remained unfinished .
- Date Created : 1519-1534
- Author : Michelangelo Buonarrotti
- Dimensions : 256 – 277 cm
- Technique of the work : marble sculpture
3 – Rape of the Sabine
Women Photo by sailko. The sculptural group represents three naked bodies executed by the Flemish author Jean De Boulogne, Giambologna for the Florentines: he wanted to sculpt the three figures on a single block of marble with the aim of showing his talent, while the name was attributed to the work only later on the advice of the scholar Vincenzo Borghini.
- Date created : 1574 – 1580
- Author: Gianbologna – Jean De Boulogne
- Dimensions : 410 cm
- Technique of the work : marble sculpture
4 – Cassone Adimari
The little known painted panel represents the front part of a 15th century wedding chest, or, according to recent studies, the panel of a bed back; this work, which represents a rich Florentine wedding in the background of Piazza del Duomo, has been attributed to Lo Scheggia, as well as the younger brother of Masaccio.
- Creation date : around 1450
- Author : Lo Scheggia
- Dimensions : 88 x 303 cm
- Technique of the work : tempera on wood
5 – Coronation of the Virgin by Jacopo di Cione
Known in Florence as “Coronation of the Mint” because commissioned by the officers of the florin coinage, the coronation of the Virgin takes place on an elegant raised floor above the patron saints of the city of Florence including: S. Giovanni Battista, standing, S. Caterina with the palm of martyrdom, S. Anna depicted with the model of fortified Florence, S. Matteo, protector of the Arte del Cambio and S. Vittore pope. The deep devotional meaning of the religious subject merges with the civic and political sense represented by the symbols in the precious carved, gilded and painted frame.
- Date created : 1325 – 1399
- Author : Jacopo di Cione
- Dimensions : height: 348 cm; width: 193 cm
- Technique of the work : panel / tempera painting / leaf gilding
6 – Madonna with Child, San Giovannino and two Angels
Photo by Sandro Botticelli. The painting represents the scene in which there is Mary holding her child’s son in her arms, aided by an angel who holds her baby’s back with his right hand, looking at her Mary. The second angel who instead looks intently towards the viewer, that is, has the role of contact with the public, like the character who in the sacred representations of the Renaissance theater explained the scenes to the onlookers.
- Date created : 1468 – 1470
- Author : Sandro Botticelli
- Dimensions : 85 x 62 cm
- Technique of the work : tempera on wood
7 – Christ in Pieta
On a panel are represented the figures of John the Evangelist and the Madonna at the height of the knees around the dead body of Christ; the touching emotionality and the sense of color had to represent the absolute novelty in the chromatic field in the Florence of the time, that is to say the author was going to lay the foundations for the future international gothic style that was to be established shortly thereafter.
- Date Created : 1365
- Author : Giovanni da Milano
- Dimensions : 121 x 63 cm
- Technique of the work : tempera and gold on wood
8 – Venus and Love
The painting depicts Venus lying with his head turned to kiss Cupid, an allegorical scene that wants to highlight the fallacy of feelings and love through numerous symbolic elements such as the masks attached to Cupid’s bow or through totally twisting unnatural of the subjects’ bodies.
- Date Created : 1533
- Author : Michelangelo Buonarroti
- Dimensions : 128 x 194 cm
- Technique of the work : oil on panel
9 – Thebaid
Painting composed of several spatial units where various episodes of holy monks are represented, other episodes however referring to the theme, much felt in that historical period, of meditation as a spiritual path refined through prayer and it is possible to notice a group of flagellants;
- Date created : around 1460
- Author : Paolo Uccello
- Dimensions : 83 x 118 cm
- Technique of the work : tempera on canvas
10 – Madonna della Cintola and Saints
This work contains a pictorial subject showing the delivery of the Sacred Cingolo – its belt, by Mary, to St. Thomas during the Assumption into Heaven. They are surrounded by various saints including Santa Margherita and San Gregorio Magno; in the work a taste for the elegant and refined contour line is also very evident and the vegetal carpet reveals a remarkable attention to detail.
- Date Created : 1456-1460
- Author : Filippo Lippi
- Dimensions : 207 x 200 cm
- Technique of the work : tempera on wood
Hours and prices
The museum is open every day of the year apart from every Monday, January 1st and December 25th
- Hours: from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 am to 6:50 pm, the ticket office closes at 6:20 pm
- Best time to avoid queues : reach the museum by 8:00
- Ticket cost: € 12.00
- Reductions : € 6.00 for state teachers € 2.00 for citizens of the European Union and of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein from 18 to 25 years included
- Free : children under 18, people with disabilities, school groups and teachers, tourist guides and tourist interpreters, Italian and foreign journalists, operators of voluntary associations that operate through agreements at the peripheral offices of the Ministry, staff of the Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activities, members of the International Council of Museums and holders of the Firenze Card
Online tickets and guided tours
Useful tips for visiting the attraction
- Get up early : reaching the entrance by 8:30 in the morning allows you not to wait for the large queue that crowds the museum every day
- Buy the city card : the Firenze card is available, a “magic” card that allows you to visit the over 72 museums and cultural centers in the Florentine city at a price of € 85.00 to be used within 72 hours of entering the first museum .
- Skip-the-line ticket : it is possible to book the ticket and the entrance time by calling Firenze Musei at (+39) 055294883, booking cost: € 4.00
- Pay attention to the restrictions : it is not allowed to introduce more than 0.5 liters of water inside the museum. The museum does not have a wardrobe so large backpacks and bags are not allowed but with a maximum size of 40x30x18 cm. Inside the museum it is not possible to take pictures with a flash, selfie stick or bulky objects. No animals of any kind are allowed.
- Minimum time : we recommend that you consider a minimum of 30 minutes for the visit, but the ideal would be to be able to dedicate 2 hours for an in-depth visit.
Where is it and how to get there
- On foot : the Gallery is a 15-minute walk from the Santa Maria Novella train station, as well as just 5 minutes from the exact center of Florence heading north
- By bus : with buses n ° 7, 11, 12, 14, 17, 23, 25 or tram T1.3, T2
Historical notes and curiosities: what to know in brief
The Gallery dates back to 1784, when the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo reorganized the Academy of Drawing Arts , founded in 1563 by Cosimo I de’Medici, into the modern Academy of Fine Arts. enriched with the suppression of churches and convents ordered by Pietro Leopoldo in 1786 and by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1810. But the decisive event for the history of the museum was the transfer of Michelangelo’s Davidfrom Piazza della Signoria in August 1873; the most famous sculpture in the world therefore had to wait nine years, kept in a wooden box, for the completion of the construction of the Tribune designed by the architect Emilio De Fabris to welcome it. Today’s Accademia Gallery was established in 1882.
