– This post was written by Neesha Kanga –
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About the Uffizi Gallery
So you’ve decided to brave the relentless crowds of Florence to see for yourself what is objectively the greatest Renaissance art museum in the world. But there’s more than just centuries-old paintings of baby Jesus to be found here (although, there’s a lot of that too). With thousands of art objects on display, you might be wondering what to see at the Uffizi Gallery. So, prepare for your exploration of Western art history with this ultimate Uffizi Gallery Guide – tried and tested!
Florence is home to many world-class museums and galleries, each with its own unique atmosphere. With the Galleria dell’Accademia, Pitti Palace, the Duomo Museum (which has free entry, by the way!), and Bargello National Museum all within a stone’s throw of one another, the city itself can feel like a living, breathing museum. Throw in the Ponte Vecchio and the delicious Tuscan cuisine, and you’ve got yourself a city worthy of the Medicis.
To really know Florence, you must first know a thing or two about the Medicis. This wealthy Florentine family started the Medici Bank of Florence, the most important financial institution in 15th-century Europe. The House of Medici went on to dominate the world of politics, religion, and art. Altogether, they produced four Popes of the Catholic Church, and Cosimo I de’ Medici became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. He also started the Uffizi offices, which later became the Uffizi Gallery. All in all, a very important family.
After the House of Medici died out, the gallery and all its treasures were gifted to the city of Florence by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heiress. When visiting the Uffizi Gallery, you can see the legacy of the Medici family in every room. From imposing busts to portraits placed front and center, the family is still as much a part of the museum as they ever were.
With that history in mind, here’s your ultimate Uffizi Gallery guide so you know what to see at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Visiting the Uffizi Gallery: Getting in
Buy. Your. Tickets. In. Advance.
We can’t stress this enough. There are thousands of people visiting the Uffizi Gallery each day, so don’t expect to simply waltz in to buy a ticket. In fact, don’t expect to waltz in even with pre-sold tickets!
When booking your Uffizi Gallery tickets online, you’ll first have to stand in line at Gate 3 to pick up your paper tickets. After that, you’ll have to join the (even longer) line at Gate 1 (People with Reservation) to enter the gallery.
Tip: Bring water and snacks, and wear comfortable shoes. If you have a timeslotted entry, arrive at least an hour before and expect to enter an hour after your stated entry time has passed. Don’t worry about not getting in – just stand your ground and stare down any queue-cutters – this is still monumentally faster than buying your tickets on-site.
Tiqets’ priority entrance tickets start at €28.00, and children’s tickets are available for €4 on-site. Admission is also free on every first Sunday of the month, but you’ll have to rise earlier than the sun to even have a shot at getting a ticket.
Worried about booking in advance and having to cancel the day before? Don’t be! When you book with Tiqets, you can cancel your tickets and get a refund right up until 24 hours before your visit.
Uffizi Gallery opening hours
Mondays: Closed.
Tuesday – Sunday: 08:15 – 18:50. (the ticket office closes at 18:05 and the museum starts closing at 18:35).
Closed on the following holidays: 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December.
The best way to see the Uffizi Gallery
The rooms and galleries in the Uffizi are ordered chronologically, with Ancient Greek and Roman art lining the decadent hallways in between. To see the Uffizi Gallery highlights, you’ll be ushered in to begin at the top floor and make your way down. If you’re an art aficionado, don’t skip galleries – the galleries open up into more rooms, and each might be hiding some must-see Uffizi Gallery artworks.
On the other hand, if you just want to see what the fuss about this place is all about, use this ultimate Uffizi Gallery Guide and skip straight to the best parts.
PS: Take a break at the Uffizi Gallery café
Halfway through exploring the museum with your trusty Uffizi Gallery guide, make sure to rest your legs and refuel in the museum café. This is the only break in the museum’s walking route that has restrooms, a restaurant, and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Palazzo Vecchio. Prices aren’t through the roof either – a coffee for € 2.50 will keep you going for part two of your visit!
Famous artworks in the Uffizi Gallery
1. Adoration of the Magi (1423) – Painting by Gentile da Fabriano
Location: Room 5 – 6
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
This biblical scene shows the three Magi on their voyage to Bethlehem, where they meet with the Virgin Mary and the newborn Jesus. Situated at the start of the route, this is undoubtedly one of the Uffizi Gallery highlights. The large canvas is interwoven with real gold thread and precious stones are embedded in the panel.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Gentile’s Adoration of the Magi is considered “the culminating work of International Gothic painting” (Hyman, 2003). During this period, Renaissance art really started to take on shape, color, and perspective. Gentile’s mastery of light in this particular painting is unrivaled for his time. You could spend ages staring at every little detail in this painting, from the seemingly unbridled use of gold and gemstones to the exotic animals that peer at you from in between the medieval townsfolk.
2. Mars Gradivus (1559) – Sculpture by Bartolomeo Ammannati
Location: Verone sull’Arno
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
One of the first statues that greets you when you enter the Uffizi is Mars Gradivus. It depicts the Roman god Mars marching towards the leader of an army with a baton in his right hand and a sword in his left (now missing). Made from cast bronze rather than marble, the statue shows the transition of a classical subject as it’s depicted in Antiquity versus the more ‘modern’ 16th century.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
When visiting the Uffizi Gallery, you’ll see many ‘old’ Roman statues, but, these are mostly Renaissance replicas. Think of it this way: If for Romans, evoking Greek culture was a way of showing off, then for Renaissance nobles, evoking Roman culture was a way of showing off.
The romanticization of Ancient Roman sculpture was considered the peak of beauty and virtue for the Baroque-obsessed Renaissance folk. Ammannati was a master sculptor who painstakingly studied Michelangelo’s lessons in anatomy to accurately render movement, and male beauty in sculpture. This is peak Renaissance, right from the get-go.
3. Coronation of the Virgin (1432) – Painting by Fra Angelico
Location: Room 6
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
More gold-leaf than you’d ever thought possible for a single painting.
In all seriousness, this painting was probably an altarpiece panel that once adorned some lucky church. It depicts Jesus crowning Mary Magdalene in the golden void of eternal paradise. The painting is an intermediate piece that merges the Gothic style with that of the Early Renaissance. The gilded panel and halos that represent ‘the sacred space’ is a vital element of Early Renaissance Christian art; plus it acts as a cheat sheet for viewers to establish the time period of paintings. Gold leaf, Madonna and Child, flat subjects? Byzantine to Early Renaissance. Exceptions: Orthodox art and Gustav Klimt.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
In Angelico’s Coronation of the Virgin, you’re invited to step into an imagined paradise of the late-Medieval mind, where the coronation of Mary Magdalene is being held. The painting is angelic and mystical – and large. Notice the pyramidal structure of the subjects, with Jesus crowning Mary at the apex of the panel in an example of linear perspective. It was very common during this time period; consider it a sort of totem pole of divinity.
4. Ognissanti Madonna (1306) – Painting by Giotto di Bondone
Location: Room 2
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
This traditional Christian painting shows a giant baby Jesus sitting on the lap of a giant Virgin Mary, surrounded by much tinier saints and angels. In the same strand of Byzantine art, the symbolic sacred space is an ether of gold with very formal and rigid icons dominating the scene.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Giotto di Bondone was a star of the Late Middle Ages and is considered to be one of the first painters to transition from the flatness of Byzantine art to the delicate fullness of Renaissance art. He was the first artist to depict three-dimensional figures in Western European art.
In Ognissanti Madonna, Giotto’s Madonna and Child have volume and depth. He breaks away from techniques that would flatten the painting, and even plays with light and shadow in the folds of the Virgin’s dark fabric. There’s a dark and smokey quality to the subjects’ expressions – a technique later echoed by Da Vinci.
5. The Duke and Duchess of Urbino (1473-1475) – Painting by Piero della Francesca
Location: Room 8
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
It’s a relatively small diptych featuring the very stoic looking Duke of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro, and his wife, Battista Sforza. Francesca presents the couple’s rather unique profiles gazing at each other unaffectedly, with rich spatial elements in the background that symbolize the land the noble couple ruled over. The painting hints at a restrained yet respectful relationship governed by piety and power. It’s a peaceful painting, interrupted only by the sounds of the barrier alarms going off every few minutes in the gallery.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
One of the few paintings in the Uffizi without a mythical or religious subject, the Duke and Duchess of Urbino tells a more personal tale. For one, if you thought the Duke looked… interesting from this angle, just remember that this was his good side! The adventure-loving Duke had many battle scars. Francesca intentionally left out the Duke’s facial scars, but also chose to paint his left profile due to the Duke’s lack of a right eye and missing chunk of nose. He lost both of these in a particularly brutal jousting tournament, and simply put, he had a face that only a god-fearing Duchess could love.
Speaking of the Duchess, notice how she’s looking a little pale? This wasn’t just the fashion of the time. It’s speculated that Sforza’s profile was rendered posthumously after she died from pneumonia brought on by childbirth. She was only 26 years old and Francesca was said to have used her death mask for reference. This small diptych often gets overlooked in favor of other Uffizi Gallery artworks, but it’s worth a short peruse.
6. Boar (Roman Sculpture, 2nd-1st-century B.C.)
Location: Third Corridor
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
Feeling a bit boar-ed of all the regal busts and religious scenes? Pay a visit to one of the Uffizi’s most visited (and cutest) marble sculptures: The majestic Porcellino. It was unearthed in Rome in 1556, on the slopes of the Esquiline Hill, and dates back to the Hellenistic period.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
The boar is said to be part of a group hunting scene, and though its mighty tusks have been lost to time, its surviving elements still hold up as a testament to the unknown sculptor’s skill. The Boar is a realistic representation, as if the animal had been disturbed from its sleep, sniffing the air to sense an approaching hunter.
This unassuming scupture is a welcoming sight among a sea of biblical, noble, and mythological artworks. Over the centuries, the statue has been copied in various materials for Renaissance nobles and kings. This reverence points to a shift towards understanding the natural world after the blunder of the Dark Ages. A newfound interest in the animal kingdom was key in the Renaissance’s advances in science, zoology, and biology.
7. The Sleeping Hermaphrodite (Roman Sculpture, 2nd Century B.C.)
Location: Room 38 – Room of the Hermaphrodite
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
As you’re walking along the Uffizi’s overwhelming hallways, you’ll see curious sections with throngs of people peering over each other to glimpse into darkened, sectioned-off rooms. One of these rooms houses the Sleeping Hermaphrodite. When you set eyes on this languid, life-sized statue, you’ll almost feel as if you’ve invaded a very real person’s intimate space.
One of the Uffizi Gallery highlights, Hermaphroditus is housed in a dark red room, illuminated only by a circle of light cast gently upon the bed on which the Hermaphrodite lays in eternal slumber. It has been here, unmoved, since the early 19th century.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Born the son of Hermes the messenger god and Aphrodite the goddess of love, you’d think Hermaphroditus was set up for an easy life. Alas, in Ancient Greek, having parents in high places won’t save you from fate.
Hermaphroditus was handsome to a fault and caught the unwanted attention of the water nymph Salmacis. She attacked him while he was bathing in a lake and wished for them to be bonded forever. Her wish was granted when the gods merged her female body into that of Hermaphroditus, creating, as Ovid said, “a creature of both sexes”.
The Sleeping Hermaphrodite is as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago when it comes to conversations about sex and gender. Once, there were thousands of statues of the Sleeping Hermaphrodite; today, only nine remain in the world.
8. Laocoön and His Sons (1506) – Sculpture by Baccio Bandinelli
Location: The Third Corridor
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
An arresting, massive marble sculpture of the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphates and Thymbraeus being attacked by sea serpents sent by either (depending on if you ask Sophocles or Virgil) Poseidon, Apollo, or Athena.
Though versions differ, the most commonly accepted story is derived from Virgil’s Aeneid (19 BC). It’s said that Poseidon killed the Trojan priest and his sons for attempting to expose the ploy of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear. In Sophocles’ version, the serpents killed only the two sons, leaving only Laocoön alive to suffer.
This statue is rarely left out of any Uffizi Gallery guide. What you see before you is poetry in motion, as the devastating moment of tragedy is trapped in marble.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Laocoön is the most famous ancient sculpture ever to be excavated in Rome in 1506. The original can be found in the Vatican Museums, and many reproductions were made over the years, especially during the Renaissance. This collective of Laocoön sculptures is known as the ‘Laocoön Group’.
Laocoön is considered the ‘prototypical icon of human agony’ in Western art. This is because unlike religious scenes of terror, this suffering has no redemptive power or reward. It is a form of ancient absurdism. Notice the contorted shapes of the bodies and the primal expression of fear and sadness in Laocoön’s face as he attempts to save his sons – everywhere you look, you’ll see flesh and muscle twist in inhuman ways. Simply said, Laocoön and His Sons is a morbid feast for the eyes and undoubtedly a must-see when visiting the Uffizi Gallery.
9. The Wrestlers (Roman Sculpture, 1st Century A.D.)
Location: Tribune
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
A marble sculpture of two young men competing in a wrestling match, widely considered to be the best quality examples of a Roman copy of Hellenistic bronze sculpture. Two muscular men are depicted in the pinnacle of the moment of an ancient wrestling match. The balance of the bodies is such that the outcome of the match is not revealed.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
This detailed rendering of the original excavated artwork is special because it was one of the only full-finds from the ancient world in the 16th century. It was modeled after a painstaking restoration process by master sculptors. There are no other such copies of the sculpture in existence.
10. Birth of Venus (1485) – Painting by Sandro Botticelli
Location: Room 10-14
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
The main reason everyone visits the Uffizi Gallery.
If you’re wondering what to see at the Uffizi Gallery, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is considered the star of the museum. This pastel-hued painting showcases the goddess of love, born in a seashell, being carried into existence by the foam of a wave. The west wind, Zephyr, whose body is intertwined with that of the nymph Chloris, blows her toward the fresh and awakening Earth. On the right, an attendant is about to gracefully drape a robe over the newborn goddess.
Many flock to this particular gallery to gawk at this timeless Pagan scene. It is spring personified and is as enchanting now as it was over 600 years ago.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
The Birth of Venus is considered an anomaly for the time. Pagan sculpture was all the rage, but paintings were often not so risque. Back then, a confident, fully nude female who’s not being chastised, spied upon, or terrorized by some underlying religious morality was not the norm.
We know little about the painting, but it’s speculated to be a wedding gift, perhaps even for a Medici. In Birth of Venus, Botticelli manages to effortlessly balance heavy patterns, dreamy motion, and dimensionality. Venus is masterfully rendered to embody beauty and grace, with wisps of flyaway hair and a strong yet rounded stature. The billowing drapery and weightless figures, combined with the rich colors, make this a painting you could stare at endlessly – good luck with the crowds though!
11. Primavera (1480) – Painting by Sandro Botticelli
Location: Room 10-14
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
If you enjoyed Birth of Venus, you’re going to love Botticelli’s Primavera, aka Spring. It’s an ethereal painting of nine figures from classic mythology dancing in a flowering forest, among a grove of orange and laurel trees.
Venus, now fully dressed, is front and center. On the far right, Zephyr embraces his lover, the nymph Chloris, and next to them is Flora, the goddess of flowers. On the right, Mercury touches a low-hanging cloud, and in between are the Three Graces.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
No respectable Uffizi Gallery guide will tell you to see The Birth of Venus, while willfully leaving out Primavera. They’re located next to each other, after all. Observe how Botticelli chose to use dark colors to represent the richness of spring, rather than the light and airy palette he used in The Birth of Venus. This is contrasted by a blooming backdrop of flowers, each painstakingly painted to capture every detail. In fact, as of today, 138 species of plants have been identified just from Primavera.
12. Annunciation (1472) – Painting by Leonardo da Vinci
Location: Room 35
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
In a flourishing, enclosed garden that alludes to purity, the kneeling Archangel Gabriel announces to an unknowing Mary that she will soon bear the Son of God. He offers her a lily, a symbol of her virginity. Her subtle yet positive response to this news is seen from her position behind a lectern, where she was reading.
Annunciation is housed in a darkened gallery devoted to Da Vinci, and tops many lists of what to see at the Uffizi Gallery.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
With Annunciation, Leonardo was perhaps trying to hint at Mary’s learned nature. Many depictions of the Annunciation, and the Virgin Mary in general, is as a mother or a choiceless servant of god with destiny thrust upon her. But, according to the first chapter of Luke’s gospel, Mary was given an invitation to bear her destiny by Gabriel, a sort of consent – but can you really say “Thanks, but no thanks” to God?
PS: Notice Mary’s abnormal right arm. It looks distorted and slightly too long. This shows Da Vinci’s Leonardo’s early research into optics and him taking into account a lateral viewpoint. The arm is elongated so that despite Mary’s low-seated position, her arm will be centered and follow viewers across the room (right-left).
13. Doni Tondo (1506) – Painting by Michelangelo
Location: Room 35
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
A lighthearted scene of the Holy Family – Mary, Joseph, and Jesus – relaxing in a field of grass surrounded by unconcerned nude figures in the background.
The painting is vibrant, almost metallic in color. It’s also circular and has a unique, three-dimensional framing that makes it stand out against all the other Uffizi Gallery artworks.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
At first glance, Doni Tondo could be mistaken for an ordinary family moment. A couple plays with their seemingly normal child on a field of grass. There are no gold-leaf halos to be seen here, or floating angels in the air. Sure, the nude figures are unusual, but let’s write that off for now. Really, nobody knows why they’re there.
Mary, and Jesus, who are often depicted on a higher plane, are depicted much lower here. In fact, the holy Virgin is seated directly on the humble earth, in between Joseph whose legs wrap around her like a protective throne. We’ll never know if she’s receiving Jesus from her husband, or if she’s passing the child to him. This indeterminable action perhaps indicates a shared responsibility in raising the Son of God.
14. Venus of Urbino (1538) – Painting by Titian
Location: Room 83
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
A striking painting of a reclining woman waiting to be dressed for her il toccamano ritual. This is a sort of engagement ceremony that takes place in a church, in which a bride touches the hand of a potential groom to signify her consent over the marriage.
In the background are two maids searching through a chest to find things to accompany the bride’s wedding dress, which is seen draped over the shoulder of the second maid. A dog, a classic symbol of fidelity, lies at the foot of the bed.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Titian’s Venus of Urbino is included in almost every Uffizi Gallery guide as an unmissable artwork. This iconic reclined pose has gone on to dominate the world of art. From Eduard Manet’s Olympia to Francisco de Goya’s The Nude Maja, Velázquezś’ Rokeby Venus, and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’ Grande Odalisque, the Venus of Urbino has been a prototype for the female nude for centuries. It has been criticized to be objectifying and simultaneously lauded as empowering by every society of every time period. Whatever your take is, it’s a piece that gets the people talking.
*Trigger warning: The following two artworks contain mentions of sexual assault
15. Medusa – Painting by Caravaggio
Location: Room 96
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
Caravaggio, a dark and cynical artist by nature, captured the moment of Medusa’s decapitation in the reflection of Perseus’ shield. Instead of being lifeless, the disembodied head still appears to be fully conscious as the painting captures Medusa’s petrified awareness of her own death.
The painting is found towards the end of the museum route, in one of the eight rooms devoted entirely to Caravaggio. When it comes to what to see at the Uffizi Gallery, the Caravaggio rooms are non-negotiable.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
When remembering the story of Medusa, it’s important to note that Medusa was as much of a victim as well… her victims. Medusa was born a beautiful maiden with many suitors. Jealous and angry that she rejected his many advances, Poseidon raped her in the sacred Temple of Athena. Athena then punished Medusa for being raped in her temple by turning her into a Gorgon with serpents for hair. Let that level of victim-blaming sink in for a moment.
Caravaggio himself, whose life, sexuality, and death has been shrouded in controversy, fittingly captures the final moments of Medusa’s tragic life by using his likeness. The painting is a self-portrait of his own face in place of Medusa’s. Today, there have been many feminist re-readings of the mythology of Medusa, as the lady with the slithering locks who could undoubtedly serve looks to kill the patriarchy.
16. Judith Beheading Holofernes (1620) – Painting by Artemisia Gentileschi
Location: Room 90
What is this Uffizi Gallery artwork?
Speaking of badass women killing the patriarchy, Judith Beheading Holofernes is the literal definition of taking back the power. This atmospheric and chiaroscuro-laden painting is by Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the few female Renaissance painters.
Artemisia’s painting depicts the Old Testament slaying of the Assyrian general Holofernes by Judith, a young Israelite heroine. Like in Laocoön, the moment is captured at the height of its poetry when the sword slices through Holofernes’ neck. Judith is helped by her maidservant Abra, who viciously holds down the ill-fated general. Despite the brutality of the act, their expressions are unflinching and resolute.
Why is it an Uffizi Gallery highlight?
Artemisia was only twenty years old when she painted Judith Beheading Holofernes. Compared to most other paintings that depict the slaying, Artemisia does not shy away from showing the violence of the act. She makes it clear that the man struggled, hence the obvious physical exertion of the two young women from having to hold him down.
Caravaggio also depicted this very scene, but it is far more demure. In his version, Judith delicately holds Holofernes down with one hand while her (much older) maidservant looks on without helping. In contrast, Artemisia forces us to uncomfortably zoom in on the messiness of the act. The women are on top of him, legs pinning him down, hair being pulled as he attempts to choke Abra in his final attempts at life.
Artemisia was all too familiar with the details of such horrific acts, as she was repeatedly raped by her mentor Agostino Tassi from the age of 17 – with another man often being involved. During her trial, Artemisia was tortured with thumbscrews to verify her testimony. Her art demonstrates an unparalleled ability to capture anguish, and the anger of women. It’s said that Artemesia drew herself as Judith and Agostino Tassi, who was convicted but never served time for her rape, as Holofernes.
The Uffizi Gallery: A tactile experience
This massive Florentine museum is finding more ways to culture by offering tactile experiences of the Uffizi Gallery artworks. The museum has developed a special itinerary and walking route for visually impaired art lovers visiting the Uffizi Gallery.
But it’s not just the artworks, visitors can also find heaps of information in Braille, from floor plans to explanations of the objects on display.
Many of the Uffizi Gallery highlights, including the ones listed above, are available in bas-relief sculptures that you’re encouraged to touch and handle. This custom-designed route is completely free for visually impaired visitors.
You see those statues scattered around the Piazza della Signoria? Pay attention to those statues – they too are the priceless treasures of the Uffizi.
Right opposite the Palazzo Vecchio, you’ll find the Loggia dei Lanzi – a gallery-style sheltered walkway filled with sculptures. This is a free, open-air museum that’s part of the Uffizi. It’s home to original Renaissance sculptures like Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini and The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna (another is in the Accademia). Most Uffizi Gallery guides leave out the Loggia dei Lanzi as it’s not connected to the museum structure.
As a result, this amazing collection of Uffizi Gallery artworks is often overlooked as people crowd towards the museum itself. But thanks to this oversight, the Loggia dei Lanzi is relatively empty and peaceful. It’s also insane to think of all these priceless statues being left outside to the elements!
Where to eat near the Uffizi Gallery?
If you’re not on a tight budget, the Piazza della Signoria is full of upscale cafés and restaurants that are happy to charge you € 8 for a medium-sized beer. Here are some of our top picks of where to eat near the Uffizi Gallery:
1. Gustavino Piazza Della Signoria
Amazing atmosphere and great steak, this place is usually packed around dinnertime. We recommend making a reservation if you want a table overlooking the Uffizi and the Palazzo Vecchio.
2. Rivoire
Feeling peckish but not yet ready to eat a full meal? Rivoire is a great place to get a pick-me-up while waiting in line to enter the museum, or walking towards your next destination after visiting the Uffizi Gallery.
3. Ristorante Il David
This quaint, typically Tuscan dine-in option is right next to the Loggia dei Lanzi and boasts great chianti, fresh-from-the-oven pizza, and the essential grumpy Italian waiter (don’t take it personally!).
Bonus Tip for Cheap Food Near the Uffizi Gallery
Unnamed self-service café on Via Lambertesca, 27
Pizza slices? Check. Coffee? Dessert? Check. A wide selection of sandwiches, hot paninis, and other baked goods for under € 5? Check! This literal hole-in-a-wall café is just a three-minute walk down the cobblestone street from Gate 3 of the Uffizi Gallery. It’s an excellent place to sit and eat before visiting the Uffizi Gallery, or grab a sandwich and coffee-to-go.
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