There is one man who draws hundreds of thousands of people to Florence each year and he hasn’t walked the streets of the city for over four hundred and fifty years. His name is Michelangelo and it is his artwork that brings tourists from all over the world to the Accademia Gallery Museum in Florence, Italy.
The Galleria dell’Accademia was established in the eighteenth century as a study space for fine arts students at the Academy of Fine Arts, which was founded by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine. The halls of the building were decorated with paintings and sculptures for the students to look at and take inspiration from.
The museum is home to paintings, tapestries, sculptures and even musical instruments by famous Italian artists like Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pontormo and many others.
Most of the paintings and works of art were commissioned by the Medici family and were then donated by the last of the Medici’s so that the art could be enjoyed by generations to come.
If you find yourself in Florence anytime soon, the Accademia Gallery Museum is a must see, even if you’re not someone who loves art.
The works of famous Italian artist Michelangelo are what draws mass amounts of tourists to the museum each year. As a young man, he became an apprentice to a painter before studying sculpture in the Medici sculpture gardens.
One of Michelangelo’s most famous sculptures is the David which is housed in the Accademia. This 17-foot marble sculpture was originally placed in front of the Palazzo Vecchio by the Florentine government where a replica now stands. The sculpture is so famous because of the accuracy of the male form represented in the piece and the strength of it, and it is now a symbol of the city of Florence.
A 64-year-old man from Virginia, Brad, said he had waited to see the David his whole life. He had always been fascinated by Renaissance art and felt it was finally time to make the trip to Florence to see the one piece that he has dreamed of seeing since he was young. He said it was even more beautiful than any of the pictures he had ever seen because of the way the light hits the marble in the gallery.
Michelangelo’s Prisoners or Slaves also resides within the walls of the museum. There are four statues, The Awakening Slave, The Young Slave, The Bearded Slave and The Atlas. These statues are so famous because they are actually unfinished, so visitors of the museum can see his process. It is now believed that the statues were left this way on purpose to represent the struggle of humans to escape from material trappings.
Michelangelo’s admiration and obsession with the human anatomy are what make his pieces so fascinating. He doesn’t just sculpt the human body, he sculpts figures in ways that represent movement and emotion.
Michelangelo’s pieces are what make people come to the museum, and the magnificent works by other artists are what make them stay. Works like the Rape of the Sabines by Jean de Boulogne. This is the first thing you’ll see when you walk into the museum because of its size and its elevation in the center of the first room you step into. This is the cast model of the original sculpture that stands in the Piazza della Signoria. The amazing thing about this piece is that the entire thing was carved from a single block of marble. The piece depicts three figures intertwined, two male and one female.
The Cassone Adimari was created in 1450 by the younger brother of Masaccio, who went by Lo Scheggia. The painting is the front panel of a wedding chest and depicts a wedding parade in downtown Florence. In the background, the classic green and white marble of Florentine churches can be seen. The one in this piece is thought to be the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist. It is so surreal to look at a painting from the fifteenth century in the same city where the artist got the inspiration for that painting.
The Accademia Museum Gallery is also home to the Museum of Musical Instruments. It houses about fifty musical instruments belonging to the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory. The museum gives visitors a firsthand look at the impact of music on life in generations past. Paintings on the wall show men playing instruments which isn’t common of renaissance paintings but is definitely present.
The museum has all kinds of instruments including a piano that was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1699. There are also harpsichords, string and wind instruments inside. Some of the instruments may look familiar, but others will be totally new. There are screens and computers around the exhibition that allow visitors to dive deeper into the history of these instruments and their impact on everyday life.
The Accademia Gallery is one of the most visited museums in the world. Close by, you can visit the Piazza del Duomo and countless other museums around Florence. If you’re interested in visiting a lot of the museums in the city, you may want to look into the Firenzecard. This is the perfect solution for art lovers and history seekers alike. The card costs seventy-two euros and is valid for seventy-two hours. It allows you to enter once into all of the museums of the Circuit using the priority line and without having to make a reservation. This can save you time and money if you’re someone who plans on visiting a lot of museums.
There are seventy-two museums on the list of places you can visit with the card. This includes the Galleria dell’Accademia, the Basilica di Santa Croce, the Galleria degli Uffizi and many others.
For an additional five euros, you can purchase the Firenzecard Plus. This pass also allows access to the city’s public transportation (buses and trams) so you can get from place to place quickly and get the most out of your purchase.
This is a great investment because it will save you a tremendous amount of time. Lines to get into museums in Florence can often be a few hours, and your Firenzecard will allow you to skip those lines and avoid wasting your day waiting around.
If you’re not someone who wants to see all of the art that Florence has to offer and just want to visit the Accademia, you should try to pre-book your tickets online ahead of time to avoid waiting in line for hours. However, there is a four euro charge for pre-booking tickets, making the total cost of admission twelve euros instead of eight. You can book by calling +39-055-294-883 or go online and purchase.
If you’re planning on visiting Florence anytime soon, make sure you take a trip to the Galleria dell’Accademia. Being immersed in the rich history of the city is a truly incredible experience and one you won’t want to miss.
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