Lucky you: you have the opportunity to see some of the most famous works of art in the entire history of the world while in Italy, so don’t blow it! There’s a fine line between doing it right and overdoing it and ending up trudging aimlessly through the exhibit rooms while rotating your gaze from left to right, seeing it all yet seeing nothing. Everyone, even the most ardent of art appreciators, is capable of hitting the proverbial wall (if not the actual wall if you’re walking on auto-pilot.)
Once, on a visit to the Uffizi, I had mapped out my must-see masterpiece list that turned out to be overly ambitious. The Caravaggio gallery was at the end of the route, but I was so tired that I dragged myself into the center of the room and spun around slowly until the Bacchus came into my focal range. After a two-second viewing without even moving in closer I turned heel and made off for the cafeteria. I have no regrets; I saw Caravaggio’s Bacchus in person and you can’t take that away from me – there are no rules on time limits. My point here is that if I can overdose on art, anyone can. (For my more personal observations on certain people in my family that do not share my enthusiasm for art, see my “Art Un-Appreciation” blog and please let me know whose side you’re on.)
Here are a few things I’ve come up with for art-lovers and art-likers: (There’s even something here for art-do-I-have-to?s)
Closed on Mondays:
Apart from churches, most places where an entrance ticket is required are closed on Mondays in Italy. If you’re planning on being for example, in Florence for only one day, make sure that it’s not a Monday. Many restaurants are closed on Monday as well. I guess that since Saturday and Sunday are the only possible days for most people to be out and about someone long ago voted on taking Mondays off. Exception: The Vatican Museums are open Mondays but closed Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month when admission is free, but forget I told you that. Don’t even think about going on this day, even for free. I’m not kidding. Just imagine if Disneyland offered free admission on a Sunday. Check the hours before planning your itinerary.
Major Museums:
These are the museums where I absolutely insist you go when in Rome and Florence, and that goes for everybody, so no matter how uncultured you are, drag yourself there and I’ll explain why you won’t be sorry:
The Vatican Museums, Rome: One word: The Sistine Chapel (alright, three words.) Home of arguably the most famous and magnificent works of art in the history of the universe, and in case you were born under a rock, that includes Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes of the Old Testament (1508-1512); Michelangelo’s altar fresco of The Last Judgment (he reluctantly returned in 1537 under orders from Pope Paul III); wall frescoes of The Life of Moses and The Life of Christ by Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, and Roselle (1482). Don’t argue with me, you’re going. I’ll even let you rush through the rest of the exhibits, ignoring Roman and Greek statues, Egyptian mummies and artifacts, as long as you check out The Sistine Chapel.
Vatican Museums: Egyptian porphyry sphinx
Special Tip: This may sound obvious to all of you who have been before, but The Sistine Chapel is not in St Peter’s Basilica. On my first trip to Rome, I eagerly looked up at the many frescoed domes contained in the basilica (fact: all domes in Rome are frescoed), thinking that one of them would look familiar to me. Alas, those domes are so high up I couldn’t make out a thing, but I felt sure I had witnessed the famous work of Michelangelo, albeit without the advantage of a zoom lens or my own scaffolding. It wasn’t until I read the guidebook that I realized that I needed to go to a whole other museum, several blocks around the corner from St Peter’s. I feel a little silly admitting to this gaffe, but I’ve heard this from other people who thought the same thing so if you don’t judge me I’ll pretend you already knew.
The Uffizi Gallery, Florence: This is a toughie, I admit. It’s a very big museum with a ton of paintings, but many of them will be familiar to you: La Primavera (Spring) by Botticelli, The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, The Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca, the Doni Tondo by Michelangelo, Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael. They’re all nice and big (not disappointing like the Mona Lisa), and recently restored to their original bright colors.
The Accademia, Florence: If you do not go to this museum I will never forgive you. If you do, you will consider it a, if not the, highlight of your trip to Italy, for here is housed Michelangelo’s statue of David – all 17 feet of him, under a perfectly skylit dome. If you look very carefully at his hand you could swear that there is actually blood flowing through his marble veins. Just know that no photograph has ever done it justice and that every person I dragged here against his will left The Accademia with a new appreciation for life and art. You’re welcome.
Reservations:
Listen very carefully: Do not even think about going to the museums mentioned above without making a reservation. The last time I was at the Vatican Museums in Rome the line to get in was estimated at a 4-6 hour wait. We had reservations so we just walked in. The only problem with reserving your appointment is that you have to make a decision ahead of time, preferably before you depart, as to what day you will visit, and you cannot change this. So make the decision, commit to the date, book it, and wave to the people waiting in line when you get there.
Vatican Museum Reservations (4 euro reservation fee)
Uffizi Museum Reservations (4 euro reservation fee)
Galleria dell’Accademia Reservations (6.50 reservation fee)
In my next museum post I’ll tell you when the best time of day is to go (with or without reservations) and why I recommend you buy souvenirs at the gift shops in the museums. I’ll also give you a list of my favorite “little” museums in Florence, Venice, and Rome, as well as a couple that you can skip.
