Impressions of the Uffizi
Yesterday (after a breakfast of espresso and croissants) we crossed the Ponte Vecchio and headed for the Uffizi, the Duomo, and the standard areas of interest to suss out the intracacies of tickets, reservations, and entry points. We never figured it out. We saw long lines waiting to get in the Uffizi Museum and the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore; no signs indicated why those people were standing at those particular doors. Maybe they didn't want to pay the 4 euro reservation charge. We are operating on the premise that there's no problem that can't be remedied wtih the application of a few euro. Long lines? No problem, get a reservation or book a tour. Got on the wrong train? Non c'è una problema, buy a ticket back (we haven't had to use this one yet but we have it ready).
We walked into a reservations door, bought tickets for the afternoon, and then wandered around the city near the Arno. There a lot of people here! The piazza was crowded with tour groups following guides who held signs or stuffed animals aloft; it was like the Pied Piper with headsets instead of a flute.
So we spent the afternoon in the Uffizi Museum. I could expound on the centuries of art on display but guidebooks do a fine job of that. Keep in mind I am neither an artist nor a student of religion, but this is what I took away from the Uffizi:
- Life was dark in the Middle Ages, even during the light of day.
- People were flat in the 1400s but got rounder as time went on.
- Men got in a lot of fights while naked.
- Women watched fights, also while naked.
- Naked fighters didn't fight fair.
- It would help to know Bible stories. The subjects of all the paintings were saints and apostles and Jesus doing stuff you were supposed to learn about in Sunday school.
- The Uffizi is very proud of itself. Seems half the signage was about the museum itself instead of what was held in it.
- The Uffizi, and Florence in general, don't deem sitting a worthwhile endeavor.
These are just my impressions; your mileage may vary.
