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Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence

Museum

Galleria dell’Accademia

Florence · Tuscany

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Museum
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Florence · Tuscany
DURATION
2 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

The Galleria dell’Accademia is the museum built around Michelangelo’s David, the 5.17-metre marble that is the most famous sculpture in the world. The gallery was founded in 1784 as the academy of fine arts, but it became a pilgrimage site in 1873 when David was moved here from the Piazza della Signoria to protect it from the weather. Beyond the David, the gallery holds a row of Michelangelo’s unfinished Prisoners (or Slaves), figures emerging from the stone, and a collection of late-Gothic and Renaissance Florentine painting. The David is the reason most visitors come, and it is worth the visit.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

The Accademia di Belle Arti was founded in 1784 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo as the school of art for Florence, with a gallery of exemplary works for the students to study. The gallery’s character changed in 1873, when Michelangelo’s David — carved between 1501 and 1504 and standing in the Piazza della Signoria for nearly four centuries — was moved indoors to protect the marble from the elements. A copy now stands in the square. The unfinished Prisoners were moved from the grotto of the Boboli Gardens to the Accademia in 1909, creating the Michelangelo corridor that leads to the David.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

Michelangelo’s David — the 5.17-metre marble, carved 1501–04 from a single block, the symbol of the Florentine republic.

02

The Prisoners (Slaves) — four unfinished figures by Michelangelo, seemingly struggling out of the raw stone, lining the corridor to the David.

03

The Hall of the Colossus — the gallery’s first room, with the plaster model of Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women.

04

The Museum of Musical Instruments — a collection of historical instruments, including a Stradivarius and a Medici harpsichord.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The Accademia exists because of the David, and the David is the sculpture that more than any other defines the Renaissance ambition to equal and surpass the art of antiquity. Seeing it in the round, at its true height, in the room built for it, is a different experience from seeing it in reproduction — the scale, the hands, the tension in the pose all become physical. The unfinished Prisoners beside it show the working method behind the finished marble, which is a rare thing to see from any sculptor.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Tickets
Book online with a timed slot well in advance — the David room is the most visited single room in Florence and unbooked queues are long.
Access
The entrance is on Via Ricasoli, a short walk from the Duomo. The gallery is small; allow one to two hours.
Best Time
First slot of the morning or the late afternoon, when the David room is quietest.
Context
The Accademia is in the San Marco quarter, north of the Duomo; the Uffizi is on the other side of the centre.

MAP & LOCATION

Galleria dell’Accademia

Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

43.7764, 11.2572

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THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Cross to the Oltrarno and the Boboli Gardens

02

Watch the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo

03

Eat and drink your way through the San Lorenzo market quarter

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Trattoria Sostanza — a historic trattoria since 1869, famous for its butter chicken and artichoke tortino, book ahead

02

All’Antico Vinaio — the city’s famous schiacciata bread sandwich, queues around the block

03

Trattoria Mario — a no-reservations lunch-only trattoria near the Mercato Centrale, honest Tuscan cooking

04

Osteria delle Tre Panche — a tiny wine bar serving the best maccheroni in the city, a few tables only

05

Ristorante Cibrèo — the classic Florentine restaurant, the place for ribollita and the chicken liver pâté

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Hotel Lungarno — a riverside boutique hotel overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, with a private art collection

02

Hotel Brunelleschi — a hotel built around a Byzantine tower in the historic centre, steps from the Duomo

03

Hotel Torre Guelfa Palazzo Acciaiuoli — a medieval tower hotel near the Ponte Vecchio, with a rooftop terrace

04

Hotel Cellai — a charming garden hotel in the San Lorenzo quarter, good value for a central stay

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