| Actual Image
made in italy_17 (110)
mbrito
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1621 W: 118 N: 2791]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (11262) | The photo of today is from «Uffizi Gallery», and was taken from «Ponte Vecchia»that crosses the Arno river.
The building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices").
The internal courtyard is so long and narrow, and open to the Arno River at its far end through a Doric screen that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe.
The Palazzo degli Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the state archive (Archivio di Stato).
The project that was planned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany to arrange that prime works of art in the Medici collections on the piano nobile was effected by Francis I of Tuscany, who commissioned from Buontalenti the famous Tribuna degli Uffizi that united a selection of the outstanding masterpieces in the collection in an ensemble that was a star attraction of the Grand Tour.
Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. After the house of Medici was extinguished, the art treasures remained in Florence by terms of the famous Patto di famiglia negotiated by Anna Maria Lodovica, the last Medici heiress; it formed one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public.
In 1993, a car bomb exploded in Via dei Georgofili and damaged parts of the palace, killing five people. The identity of the bomber or bombers are unknown, although it was almost certainly attributable to the Sicilian Mafia who were engaged in a period of terrorism at that time.
This is one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. Its collection of Primitive and Renaissance paintings comprises several universally acclaimed masterpieces of all time, including works by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. German, Dutch and Flemish masters are also well represented with important works by Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens (*).
Today the «Uffizi Gallery» is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence —waiting times can be up to five hours — so my advice is to reserve a ticket in advance by internet.
mb
data extracted from wikipedia. |
|
