What is the most famous painting in the Uffizi?

Have you really been to Florence if you haven’t visited the Uffizi?

One of the world’s oldest and most ornate art galleries, the Uffizi has housed the world’s masterpieces since the days of da Vinci. Today, the gallery holds some of the world’s most important and recognisable works, and attracts visitors from across the globe, eager to wander the halls of this most sophisticated place of the Renaissance.

So what is the most famous painting in the Uffizi? And what are some other artistic gems that make this centuries-old gallery a must-see for tourists?

It all started with The Birth of Venus

If you visit The Louvre to see da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Museo Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s Guernica, then you visit the Uffizi to see Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus. This is a painting whose fame almost overshadows the work itself – a sublime work by one of the early masters of the Renaissance.

Upon witnessing The Birth of Venus you are immediately entranced by its scale and beauty, and you will leave the Uffizi with the knowledge that marvelling at the work was worthy of the price of entry alone. This is the main event, the crown jewel of this spectacular gallery, and something that will leave you feeling enchanted for some time after.

The lady with the long neck

An astoundingly confronting painting by Parmigianino, Madonna with the Long Neck depicts the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus on her lap. Sounds like a painting typical of the Renaissance, right? Well, not exactly. The Virgin Mary’s long neck and the almost manly proportions of baby Jesus’ body are both graceful and startling, making it one of the most radical paintings of its time.

The headless Medusa

Perhaps the second most recognisable work at the Uffizi, Caravaggio’s Medusa is unlike any other piece from its time, produced by one of the true innovators of Renaissance art. The painting, which was done on canvas and then mounted on a shield, depicts the headless Medusa, at the very moment she was executed by Perseus. What makes this painting so unique is the way in which it could easily be mistaken for a contemporary gory painting if, perhaps, it wasn’t so well well-detailed.

It is definitely worth visiting

The Uffizi is an art-lover’s gem and the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Florence. Even if you have little time in Firenze, no trip to the city is complete without at least gazing upon the impressive beauty of The Birth of Venus itself.

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