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The most beautiful woman in Florence

May 3, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 5 Comments

ART GALLERY

Venus de’ Medici

Once upon a time there was a woman who was the most beautiful in all of Florence. Men and women from all across the lands would travel to the city to see her. Of all the attractions in Florence, she was the one people most wanted to see.

Venus de’ Medici was her name. And for centuries she would stand, unmoving and serene, as crowds gathered around to admire her every feature. But over the years, she lost her lustre.

Age did not weary her, nothing in her face changed and her pose remained unmoved. It was the views of the populous which altered and in their eyes she was no longer the most beautiful in the land.

uffizi, venus de' medicic, florence, art, most popular artwork in florence, italy (3)

The crowds stopped coming to see Venus de’ Medici – or, at least, they no longer came specifically to see her. And today she is to many tourists unknown, a faded star in one of the greatest art collections on the planet.

Made of marble in the first century BC, it’s not known when Venus de’ Medici arrived in Italy – although we do know she was sent from Rome to Florence in 1677 because the pope of them time thought she was too lewd.

She now resides in the Tribuna room of the Uffizi gallery, a room that currently is closed to the public while restoration work takes place. There would have been a time when a visit to the gallery would have seemed almost pointless if Venus de’ Medici was not on display.

Today it seems no one even notices.

uffizi, venus de' medicic, florence, art, most popular artwork in florence, italy (2)

Michelangelo’s David, in the nearby Accademia Gallery, is now the star of Florence. It’s his version of beauty which the crowds now come to the renaissance city to admire. Not that the Uffizi is without its own attractions, of course.

Another Venus – in this case Botticelli’s – hangs in pride of place. Light-footed on a shell, she modestly covers herself with gold flowing locks as zephyrs blow her towards the awaiting nymphs.

The painting of her hangs centre stage, surrounded by other works of the great master and in this room the visitors seem to linger longer, considering the works in silence except for the quiet explanations from guides of various languages.

uffizi, venus de' medicic, florence, art, most popular artwork in florence, italy (1)

Visiting the Uffizi

Most of the greatest Italian painters – and the world’s greatest, for that matter – are hung here in the Uffizi. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Caravaggio, to name a few.

So it’s no surprise there’s a long queue to enter. The length of the wait is notorious and every guidebook will give you different advice on how to try to avoid it.

The best way seems to be to prebook tickets (for an additional fee) for a specific time. I tried the trick of turning up first thing in the morning but, despite the line being the shortest I saw it my whole stay, I still had to wait for an hour.

Uffizi Venus de' Medici

After everything, though, it’s all too much to appreciate in a single visit and at times I felt bad simply walking past some of the priceless masterpieces. But even for a true student of art it’s impossible to absorb everything.

A trip to Florence’s Uffizi Gallery leaves you feeling like sometime you’ll want to come back and learn more than is possible in just one day. Hopefully I’ll return in the future and hopefully Venus de’ Medici will be on display that time. It would be nice to see what all the fuss was once about.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN FLORENCE

There’s lots of accommodation in the historic centre so I would recommend finding somewhere there so you’re amongst all the sights.

BACKPACKER

For a cool hostel, I would recommend the modern Plus Florence, which even has a pool.

BUDGET

With comfortable and affordable rooms, Hotel Lorena also has a fantastic location.

BOUTIQUE

For a bit of style, I love the vintage design of the Residenza La Musa Amarcord.

LUXURY

And it’s not cheap, but Portrait Firenze is my recommendation for the best luxury hotel in the city.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. candice michelle |

    April 27, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Reply

    Great. Now the only thing I can see when I look at that picture is that her beauty looks higher on one side than the other.

    • Turtle |

      April 27, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      Reply

      Ha ha. I suppose beauty comes in many forms… πŸ™‚

  2. Tom |

    March 1, 2014 at 2:03 am

    Reply

    David remains my favourite of all the sights to see in Florence, interesting article to find out more about Madame Medici. Il Duomo is also amazing for those heading to Florence anytime soon.

    • Michael Turtle |

      April 4, 2014 at 7:21 am

      Reply

      Yes, you can’t miss the Duomo! And I think David gets a special reaction from a lot of people. It’s a magnificent piece of work.

  3. Ron |

    July 7, 2018 at 8:45 pm

    Reply

    “The Beauty comes, and had I tongues of fire, β€”
    So many songs did Beauty e’er inspire, β€”
    Who sees her, of his wits is dispossessed,
    And who possessed her was too highly blessed…”

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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