Uffizi Gallery Tour - Private Guided Tour of Uffizi Gallery Tour by Local Experts - Context Travel

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: Art
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Florence

Photos & Highlights

Explore the Uffizi Gallery's wide variety of Renaissance art in the company of an art historian
Includes skip-the-line access to Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery, The Birth of Venus, Primavera, Annunciation, and Venus of Urbino

Tour Description

This three-hour tour with advanced reservations and skip-the-line access of the Uffizi Gallery is led by an art historian and introduces us to some of the museum’s grandest pieces, as well as its often-overlooked gems. On a private tour or group tour with a maximum of 6 participants, we will encounter some of the most important works of Renaissance art in the world, including masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Giotto, and Da Vinci.

Sites Visited

Uffizi Gallery

Included

3 hours with a PhD or MA-level guide
Skip-the-line access to the Uffizi Gallery

Itinerary Details

Joined by an expert in art history, we’ll start our tour outside the Uffizi Gallery, considered perhaps the greatest repository of Renaissance and Mannerist works of art in the world. We’ll get a brief introduction here to the history of the collection and its relationship to the Medici family. Once in the galleries, rather than racing through the corridors to view everything, our expert guide will pick selected works to narrate the history and evolution of Florentine art in order to gain a full appreciation of their significance. We’ll trace a route through the Renaissance and Mannerist rooms and spend considerable time observing these selected pieces in depth, contextualizing their place in history and the canon of art.

As we stroll, we’ll appreciate the revolutionary techniques introduced by Cimabue and Giotto, whose expressiveness in two-dimensional art and original approach to representing space made them the pioneers of the Renaissance. After, we will contemplate the apex of harmony and naturalism, as symbolized by the works of Lippi and Botticelli, while also touching on philosophical concepts that were becoming increasingly popular at the time at the court of the Medici family. Our last stop will take us to some of the greatest examples from the Mannerist period, such as Parmigianino and Bronzino. By the end of the tour, we’ll have gained a greater understanding of the concepts of beauty, technical mastery, and the deep relationship between art and politics in Renaissance society.

Interested in our other Florence tours? Check out our Michelangelo in Florence Tour or our Savoring Florence Food Tour.

FAQ

What is a private tour?

Our private tours are limited exclusively to travelers in your party. They are designed to provide a learning experience that is completely tailored to you and your traveling companions. Private tours give you more flexibility with scheduling (you decide when the walk best fits in your trip), the ability to tailor your itinerary (we'll work to match the itinerary to the interests and dynamics of your group), and more personalized time with your guide.

What is a small group tour?

Our small group tours cover many of the same itineraries as our private tours, but they place you with other travelers in groups of 6 or less. They operate on a pre-scheduled calendar, and are designed to provide an opportunity to engage with and learn from other travelers. Most of our small group tours require at least three (3) participants to run, although there is some variation from walk to walk. However, there is some variation from walk to walk. As you sign up for a tentative walk we display the minimum number required in order to confirm.

Will you pre-purchase tickets?

Yes, we pre-purchase timed tickets to the Uffizi. Your guide will have them on hand, and we will enter the museum together as a group. However, please keep in mind that we will still be required to wait in the security line. The Uffizi is extremely crowded, and at times, this line may take up to 20 minutes. Regardless, our guide will spend this time wisely by providing an overview of the history of the collection.

Does this include the Accademia and David?

No, but for private bookings, you can add on the Accademia for an additional hour. Please book this using our Customized Private Tour of Florence form, noting that you would like to book the Arte Firenze with Accademia addition.

Will I see everything in the collection?

No, we can't cover the entire collection in 3 hours. Please note also that due to circumstances beyond our control, certain rooms or works may be closed to visitors without advanced notice.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Sally

Sally holds an MA in art history from Syracuse University with a focus on Italian Renaissance art. She originally moved to Florence in 2014 to finish her master's research and continues to live and work there, sharing her passion for her adoptive city’s fascinating history with visitors and lecturing about Italian art and culture for university field studies programs. She is especially interested in Florentine mannerist sculpture and Medici patronage, and has researched the effects of Renaissance literature and philosophy on the visual culture of the period.

Alessia

Alessia has a degree in Art History and a Master in conservation of artistic heritage, a passion that she had since she was a teenager. After two years in Paris in late 90's, she is back with another scholarship in 2003 at the Louvre. She studies how museums are focusing on activities for families, museum education, and tours for people with special needs. Since 2002 she has worked as a tour guide with enthusiasm and she loves to show Florence blending history, art, food and fashion. Alessia has also been a docent in the vocational schools for guides and she is mother of two children.

Manoli

Italian and American, educated in French schools and at the University of Florence, Manoli is passionate about history in general and Florentine history in particular. After several mission appointments with the United Nations, he returned to Europe where, for these past twenty years, he has worked in the artworld, in the commercial side (Christie’s) as well as in publishing of art books and catalogues (Skira Editore, Milan). Today Manoli lives in Florence where he enjoys sharing insights about the city’s fascinating history and heritage. He’s been a member of ICOM since 2004.

View more experts

663 Reviews – (4.74)

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

Fantastic tour! Going early we beat the crowds. Siro was fantastic - he gave more of his time as we had lots of questions and a coffee. Thank you Siro

Karen

Nov. 16, 2019

Maria was a fantastic guide during our trip to the Uffizi. We had a diverse group of women on the tour - some of whom had spent years studying art history, some who had previously seen the Uffizi, and some who had done neither - and Maria was able to keep us all engaged and meet us at our individual levels. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Uffizi.

Schuyler

Nov. 14, 2019

Maria was marvelous. Her knowledge is in-depth and she’s a fabulous presenter.

Lynn

Nov. 10, 2019

View more reviews