The best collection of Renaissance painting in the world, housed
in Vasari's 16th century building.
Watch out for the crowds. We
strongly advise you to visit the gallery during the lunch hour (the
early bird may catch the worm but you will never defeat the Japanese).
The collection is hung chronologically, beginning with Cimabue,
Giotto and Duccio, and continuing through all the great names
of Florentine painting. The high spot is the Botticelli room,
centred on his famous Primavera and the Birth of Venus. They
make a very interesting comparison with the contemporary altarpiece
of the Adoration of the Shepherds by the Flemish Hugo van der
Goes. The Tribuna, centering on the statue of the Venus de' Medici,
is the only room to be displayed as Grand Tourists would have
seen it.
