Uffizi or Palazzo Pitti?

kiki44

New member
Hi! My daughter and I will be in Florence for one day as part of a tour in about 3 weeks. We have the afternoon on a Thursday to ourselves. I would like to hit a major must see and am wondering between the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti & Boboli Gardens, which one would you suggest? We aren't diehard art aficionados but certainly want to see at least one museum with awesome art. The Pitti and Gardens looks interesting but would we be missing out if we skip Uffizi? Thanks for any advice!
 
Uffizi!

Uffizi is a must, and it's right down in the heart of things where you will want to be anyway. Definitely make a plan and head further into the museum to hit your must sees. You really can't see everything, so absorb the bulk and focus on things that you like. Admittedly I plan on hitting the Palace next time, but after covering Boboli gardens and porcelain, plus equestrian exhibit we could never have handled the Palace. You might want to hit the gardens with your daughter!
 
The Uffizi is probably the better choice of the two if your goal is to see great works of art. The displays are at eye level, and there are not works placed high up on the wall as they are at Pitti Palace. Many of the paintings at the Palace are great. It's just more difficult to properly view many of them due to the lighting and high placement.
On the other hand, if your goal is to see a beautifully decorated palace that hearkens to the period, the Pitti Palace would be preferable. This would also be preferable if one has not visited many other palaces, as it provides a glimpse into how a wealthy family might have lived during the past.
The Boboli gardens are a vast space that is also interesting to see, mainly due to the layout. The vegetation is interesting, though there is not an abundance of flowering plants. It's the design, with pathways, ponds, and fountains, and the sheer vastness, that are so worth seeing.
Also worth noting: the Uffizi is much more crowded than Pitti Palace. It can be difficult to view certain popular artworks without other people standing in front of them. This is not so common at the Palace.
As an art aficionado, by degrees, I would choose the Uffizi, but the Pitti Palace has some great artworks, too. Truly, you can not go wrong with either choice...
 
You cannot go wrong with either choice as far as artwork, but in terms of time and space, the Uffizi is "smaller" compared to the Palazzo... where you would have to choose which museum/s to visit (there are 4 inside the palazzo) and then the gardens outside. So it will also depend on the time you have and whether you want to spend it indoors or half and half....

If you want the major "must see" because it also also your first time in Florence, I'd personally suggest the Uffizi, making an online booking reservation for a time when you know you will be free by from your tour and can head there. You'll need at least 2.5 hours to see it properly.
 
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