Montebello Splendid Hotel Florence - Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is an architectural work of art, sheltering masterpieces of unestimated value and one of the most admired monumental buildings in Florence and one of the most admired and visited museums in the world housing great works of art and history from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
The Palace was designed by Giorgio Vasari around the middle of the 16th century after being commissioned to do the work by Cosimo I. Sadly, some of the surrounding buildings including the church of San Pier Scheraggio needed to be demolished to make space for the realization of this project. The Palace was built with the intention of hosting the thirteen administrative Uffizi, meaning judicial magistrate, and therefore derives its name. Vasari died before the completion of the Palace and the job was given to Buontalenti and Alfonso Parigi. Buontalenti designed the Teatro Mediceo in 1586 by the will of Francesco I, the son of Cosimo I.
This theater also served as the seat of the senate while Florence was the capital of Italy. The building is U shaped, or "horseshoe" , has two floors and opens up towards the Arno River.
A large corridor with six high arched windows overlooking the courtyard and the Arno conjoins the two parallel bodies of the building.
In the portico, which runs along the whole length of the Palace and sustained by pillars, you can find statues of famous Florentines in all the niches representing the time period from the Middle Ages up to the 19th century.
In 1993 the Accademia dei Gergofili, found in the Palazzo, was involved in a terrorist bombing attack undergoing damage and losses of inestimable value. After many long hours of work on restoration, the Palazzo was returned to its original splendour.
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HOTEL FLORENCE MONTEBELLO SPLENDID Ph.: +39 055.27471 Fax: +39 055.2747700 Email: info@montebellosplendid.com
