"Venus" was probably the highlight; the difference between seeing the painting for real as opposed to in a book is amazing! We spent the best part of an afternoon in the gallery, but didn't have chance to see everything. If you're a serious artist, I'd reccommend dedicating at least a day to it during your stay in Florence.

The cafe with a terrace on the top floor gives you a nice break, although prices can be a bit inflated and seating limited. The hot chocolate was absolutely delicious though! There is a gift shop where you can buy postcards and books of the master pieces, since photography is prohibited within most parts of the gallery.

This information came from Rick Steves and his European travels on PBS television. He has various publications that give this information, but you can also get it from your hotels I'm sure. We did not know this until we came home, after missing this tour. If you do this, then that gives you more time to visit the other fabulous historical buildings in Florence.

But you can’t stay here forever, so we continue and there is so much more to see. Leonardo Da Vinci paintings are followed by Perugino and Durer, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian’s "Venus of Urbino". Even though most guide books tell you that Rubens and Van Dyck rooms are closed, I managed to get in and see the most amazing battle paintings by Rubens. Each takes up a whole wall. I never knew that Rubens painted such large scenes. In the following rooms there is the famous Caravaggio’s "Bacchus", and several Rembrandt and Goya paintings.

When I was finished with the collection, I walked from one statue to another along the building. You can see here statues of the most famous writers, philosophers, and painters of the 16th century. And right next to them, modern painters are trying to sell their art and souvenirs.

Open: Nov-Feb 8:30 am – 6:50 pm, Tue-Sun; Mar-Oct 8:30 am – 9 pm, Tue-Fri, 8:30 am – noon Sat, 8:30 am – 8 pm Sun

Closed: Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

You absolutely have to make reservations ahead of time; it only costs an extra 1.55 euros, so the cost of the ticket will equal 9.55 euros all together. You will not have to stand in line for 3-4 hours. Just go up to the guy at the door that says "Reservation only" and tell him that you have reservations for a certain time in the day, and 10 minutes later you will have your tickets and will be on your way to see the treasures of Uffizi. Uffizi means "offices", and the building was built for Duke Cosimo I Medici as an office building with its long corridors with rooms on one side and large windows on the other. Later Medicis started to show their family art and this became the oldest art museum in the world.

The collection is on the second floor, but as you walk along the long corridor from one hall to another don’t forget to look up. Right under the ceiling you will see portraits of Medicis hanging on the walls and you might be even able to find the Duke’s portrait. Part of that collection was at PAFA in Philadelphia last year and I truly enjoyed it. Most of the portraits were painted by Sustermans. Also along the corridor in the niches between the windows on the opposite side there is a large collection of Roman statues.

Uffizi has truly an amazing collection of Italian masters. The first several rooms have Gothic art; then there is early Renaissance with famous paintings by Pietro della Francesca, Sandro Botticelli, Fra Filippo Lippi. Botticelli’s most well-known masterpieces are shown here, all in one large room. You can walk from one painting to another and study all the little details of "The Birth of Venus", "Primavera", "Adoration of Magi" and several other paintings. All the paintings were recently restored and have bright colors and are a true delight for an art buff. I could not believe some of the guided groups. There was a Korean group that literally flew through the whole room with the guide pointing at the "Primavera" as the highlight, and that was it. I tried to spend 15-20 minutes in this room looking at the composition, the check marks that give the effect of the sea in the "Birth of Venus", the beautiful women and the striking colors of the "Primavera". Botticelli’s paintings are really an amazing representation of a woman’s beauty!

Continued in Part II

Then, it was up two flights of stairs to the gallery itself which occupies the entire second floor of the U-shaped building. We had our audioguides to give structure and cohesion to a museum that houses art from the 12th century to the 17th. A great deal happened in art during that time. I am not an art history expert. I never even took art history and for some foolish reason, I felt compelled to try and learn everything I didn't know about the Renassance right here. Big mistake. The audioguide has you going back and forth, from room to room, in a more of less chronological order. After two hours of listening and studying, I was exausted, overwhelmed and very, very thirsty.

An Uncle of mine described the Uffizi this way: The Botticelli's alone will change your life. When I got the the Botticelli Room, I found a seat on the bench in the middle and turned off the taskmaster Audioguide. I just sat and looked at them. The colors are so incredibly vibrant. The images so moving, I felt like I could hear music. The room is a symphony for the eyes. All the other people in there were clearly not paying attention, and they were blocking my view. But, that moment of connection was to me what I came to the Uffizi for.