Top 9 museums in Italy for art-lovers

If you are an art lover or enthusiast, there are probably few places on earth as delightful as Italy. Being a self-proclaimed lover of all types of art, I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing world-renowned pieces at the museums in Italy while planning my trip.

When you are in Italy, you will get the chance to go to 479 museums! Yes, you read that right – 479 museums to expand your art palate. Since I am sure you can’t visit them all (if only we had the time, sigh), here are my top 9 museum recommendations that you simply cannot miss.

1. Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Any art lover needs to start or end their Italian sojourn in Florence, the birthplace of Renaissance art. One of the most popular museums in Italy is the Uffizi Gallery – a museum you simply cannot miss in Florence. Located on the banks of the Arno river, the museum is housed in what used to be the administrative offices of the Medici family (more on them later). It houses masterpieces from the 14th century to the Renaissance period and does not disappoint when it comes to jaw-dropping art that can inspire and potentially leave your jaws on the floor!

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In this gallery, you will see Italian masters at work. Pieces such as The Birth of Venus which was one of Botticelli’s most recognized works, along with Primavera. Masterpieces from the Renaissance period of Italian greats such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, adorn its walls. The Gallery also boasts an assortment of ancient busts and figures from the collection of the Medici family. You could easily spend the better part of a day marvelling at the masterpieces of this museum.

You can book a single ticket for just the Uffizi Gallery or go for a combined ticket. This combined ticket allows for 5 consecutive days to the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli gardens.

2. Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Next to the Uffizi Gallery is the Palazzo Vecchio. It was built to house the offices of the republic government of Florence in the 13th century. Here, you can see the grandiose and power of Renaissance Florence. The highlights include the Salone dei Cinquecento or the Hall of the Five Hundreds (this includes large fresco works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci), the Map Room (made famous from a scene from Dan Brown’s Inferno) and the Apartments of the Elements of air, water, earth and fire.

Fun fact – The Hall of the Five Hundreds is the largest room in Florence at 177 feet long, 72 feet wide and 56 feet high! The movie Inferno, based on Dan Brown’s book of the same name, includes an important scene here.

Afterwards, don’t miss out on the stunning panoramic view awaiting you at the top of the tower (Tower of Arnolfo). Sure, you will need to walk up 233 steps (they are steep too!) but you will be rewarded with a staggering view.

Fun fact – Before or after the visit, spend some time outside Palazzo Vecchio at Signoria Square (Piazza della Signoria). You will see some stunning artwork in the open. This includes sculptures of Adam and Eve, the Fountain of Neptune, and a copy of Michelangelo’s David. To the front of the Palazzo Vecchio is the Loggia of the Lanzi, an open-air museum containing sculptures of Giambologna and Benvenuto Cellini.

3. Accademia Gallery, Florence

Another popular museum in Italy is the Accademia Gallery. It houses the world famous statue of David. The biblical hero is portrayed as nursing the stone of the slingshot that would kill the fabled Goliath. The most overwhelming thing about the statue of David is its sheer size. At 17 feet, and placed on a pedestal, David appears surprisingly larger than life than you would expect.

In addition to the famed David statue, there are also rows of incomplete marble works of Michelangelo. Some of them, in their incompleteness, show a glimpse of how the master sculptor worked his magic from a block of marble to fluid sculptures with movement and life-like imagery of his subjects.

Fun fact – Did you know that there are a total of 3 David statues by Michelangelo? One is located in the Accademia, the second one is in Signoria square, and the third is in Piazzale Michelangelo, all in Florence!

You should book tickets to the Accademia Gallery online to avoid waiting in long lines. I remember walking by at 10 am, and seeing at least 50 people standing in line. While booking online, you can also pick the date you want to go there.

4. Doge’s Palace, Venice

The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), is a beautiful palace of the supreme ruler of the Venitian Republic from the 1600s. Nestled in the famed San Marco square, this building is considered an important museum in northern Italy. Inside, you will find stately rooms with stunning medieval furniture and artwork harkening back to the heyday days of Venice as a business hub and port. You can see the halls where the Doge held his chamber of councilmen and other government halls. The walls adorn artwork illustrating the far reach of the ruler depicting scenes of victories and trading.

If Venice is on your itinerary, be sure to check out what to do for 36 hours in Venice!

Don’t forget to check out the Bridges of Sighs. This bridge connects the Doge’s Palace to the Prigioni (prisons that were built across the canal in the late 16th century). It was used to lead prisoners from the examining rooms to their cells in the Prigioni.

Legend has it that prisoners who crossed the bridge on the way to their prison cells or the execution chamber would sigh as they caught their last glimpses of Venice through the tiny windows. However, this legend has been contested to be inaccurate. In all likelihood, the “sighs” were the prisoners’ last breaths in the free world since they were unlikely to be released.

While in Venice, be sure to stay overnight and enjoy these 25 fun experiences while you’re there!

5. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

Alright, this is not really in Italy, but in the world’s smallest country. Vatican city is the seat of Christianity and is completely surrounded by the city of Rome. The Vatican museum houses the collection of the papacy collected over the 16th century. Highlights include the Raphael rooms (I considered them 3D paintings covering every surface of the rooms), the Sistine chapel ceiling fresco artwork by Michelangelo and the Gallery of Maps, a 394 ft long gallery housing the largest collection of painted maps!

Fun fact – As you marvel at the talent of Michelangelo while craning your neck back to look at the ceiling at Sistine chapel, check out the The Creation of Adam, one of Michelangelo’s most famous works (I have admittedly seen too many memes about this :D).

6. Borghese Gallery, Rome

The Borghese Gallery or Villa Borghese houses the immense art collection amassed by Pope Paul V Borghese’s nephew, Scipione Caffarelli Borghese. Although the paintings created by masters such as Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, Correggio alone will make any art-lover go gaga, the most exquisite pieces (IMO!) are the sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (famous also as the creator of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the bustling Piazza Navona, Rome). In these still marble masterpieces, you can see movement, emotions and mythological story-telling, and is a testament to Bernini’s mastery of technique.

Sculptures by Bernini at Borghese Gallery in Rome

To visit the Borghese Gallery, advanced reservations are required. However, tickets are opened two weeks in advance. You can visit for up to two hours at your preferred time slot made at the time of booking. If you purchased the Roma pass, this gallery is a part of it, though you still need to make a reservation by calling them.

7. Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence

The Basilica of Santa Croce is a beautiful example of Italian Gothic architecture. It is the final resting place of many an Italian greats. The most famous tomb is that of Michelangelo, the genius behind the statue of David, and the artwork on the Sistine chapel (mentioned in the earlier museums). Here, you will also find the tombs of Galileo, Dante, Machiavelli, Rossini, to name a few.

In addition, the basilica is home to numerous works of art by artists such as Giotto (frescoes in Cappella Peruzzi and Bardi), Vasari (Michelangelo’s tomb and a fresco of the Last Supper), Donatello (relief of the Annunciation), Canova etc. In fact, you can easily spend a couple of hours here, looking at all the surfaces, including the ceilings and floors.

8. Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

The Pitti Palace was the residence of Florence’s ruling family in the 16th century after it was bought by the Medicis. The Medicis initially lived in Palazzo Vecchio, and upon deciding to move to the Pitti Palace, started to use the “old” palace as the government offices.

The Pitti Palace is a large museum complex housing several other museums such as the Palatine Gallery (containing works by Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Rubens etc.), the Silver Museum, the Costume Gallery and the Porcelain Museum.

Complete your visit here by walking over to the Boboli Gardens and enjoy some of the most breath-taking views of designed and landscaped gardens commissioned by the Medici family. The gardens also contain multiple works of sculpture, a grotto and a Fountain of Neptune (similar to the one at Piazza della Signoria).

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9. Cenacolo Vinciano, Milan

I could not end this list without a recommendation of the Cenacolo Vinciano church, the home to da Vinci’s Last Supper (and a major plot twist of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. This church is located in Milan (hello, shopping opportunity along with a good old-fashioned museum jaunt!).

Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper using a dry technique. This involved applying the pigments to a white preparatory layer and that served to smooth the wall. This was in contrast to the regular fresco technique of painting directly on the wet plaster. Due to this method, the colors were not absorbed by the plaster, but instead imprinted on the wall of the church.

This resulted in making the painting more fragile than fresco. In addition to this technique, the unfavorable environmental conditions led to the loss of pigment in the years immediately after the painting was completed. There have been multiple restorations done over the last centuries to recover the painting and may have inadvertently led to causing additional damage.

Pro tip – Consider getting an audio guide for 8 euros. I am a big advocate of audio guides in museums as they can make it a more infusing experience!

Tired of being unable to travel and want to look at masterpieces from the comfort of your home? Here are 5 museums in Italy that you can experience online.

Traveling around Italy? Be sure to check out all my Italy travel resources here!

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