Museums in Florence: Free First Sundays

Florence is the artistic heart of Italy, widely considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance. Even today, the city continues to attract students, masters and conservators of the arts from around the world. With so much to see and do on one day trips/tours in Tuscany, there is stiff competition for your time and attention. Be sure to reserve the first Sunday of the month for free museum hopping in Florence. With the money you save on admission tickets, you can take home a mini-masterpiece or two from the museum gift shops!

Since July 2014, the city of Florence has been granting free entry to its state museums on the first Sunday of each month. The “Sunday at the Museum” initiative even includes the two most popular museums in the city: the Accademia and the Uffizi Gallery. Other museums available for fee-free exploration on first Sundays are the Medici Chapels and the Pitti Palace designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Boboli Gardens, a monumental green space dating back to the mid 1500’s, lies just behind the Pitti Palace and is also free on the first Sundays of each month.

L’Accademia

Few tourists leave Florence without a visit to the Accademia. The most famous work within its walls is Michelangelo’s skylit David statue, although there are plenty of other works by the sculptor in the Hall of Prisoners leading up to the master work. Another famed sculpture in the Accademia is Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women. The museum’s collection of musical instruments owned by the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory will delight lovers of opera and classical music. There is a handmade red violin crafted by Antonio Stradivari (the “Medici violin”), and a fascinating presentation of the design of the first piano. In short, the Accademia reminds us that music is one of the most valued forms of art.

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi (Italian for “offices”) is the most visited museum in Florence, housing such works as Botticelli’s twin masterpieces Primavera and The Birth of Venus. The building welcomes up to 10,000 guests each day, although it was not designed to be a museum but rather the workspace for officials serving the Medici family. The halls now lined with precious paintings and priceless sculptures can therefore feel very crowded, but with a little patience you will be rewarded by the shimmering beauty of works by Cimabue, Giotto, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The art is conveniently arranged in chronological order, serving as a beautiful lesson in Italian art history.

On a private tour in Tuscany, there is no guesswork involved in how to choose the best museums and attractions to visit on Florence’s free first Sundays. Guided tours and transfers in Tuscany facilitate your day by navigating ticket lines in advance to maximize your time with the masterpieces.