FLUXEUROPA: FLORENCE

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MUSEUMS

Sorting your priorities.

There's so much to see that you must try to sort your priorities in advance...

Vasari's classical Arno facade to the Uffizi

The Uffizi is the most important museum, and contains the famous Boticelli paintings, The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Everyone will have their own pace. Our stamina lasted three-and-a-half hours there, but others may find that scandalously short or boringly long.

Get your hotel to book this or you could have a long wait. Also note that tours of the Vasarian Corridor have to be booked separately, have a waiting list and may be conducted only in Italian. This is one thing we missed and I regret it.

The Palazzo Vecchio is Florence's omphalos. The Salone dei Cinquecento features huge frescos by Leonardo (Battle of Anghiari) and Michelangelo (Battle of Cascina) which were painted in competition.

The Bargello contains Renaissance sculpture including the Donatello Room, and a collection of arms and armour including crossbows and polearms.

The Galleria della Academia dei Belli Arti has the original David. Subtly lit, it looks sharper than the replacement copy in the Piazza della Signoria. Photography is strictly banned, helping to preserve the sacred awe which it inspires. But to be frank, there's little else of interest there.

Given my particular interest in military history I also took a stroll out past the Fortezza da basso (now seemingly an inpenetrable lorry park) to the Stibbert Museum in Via F Stibbert, which houses a collection of arms and armour amassed by Frederick Stibbert and bequeathed to the city. It's interesting but the closely guided tour (in Italian only) is rather hurried and no photography is allowed.

Control of photography in Italian museums and other historical sites is peculiarly inconsistent, ranging from strict prohibition through unenforced prohibition to non-existent prohibition, but if you must sneak pictures you should avoid flash photography which can be damaging.

Rik - 26 March 2003