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Famous Italian Art Museums

There are an awe-inspiring number of art museums in Italy. Trying to visit them all would be an overwhelming challenge for even the most resolute art lover. Enrich your experience by carefully choosing which Italian museums to attend to save yourself hours in long lines or wandering second-rate galleries. Rome has the greatest number of world-class museums, with the Vatican Museum being the most formidable; Florence's Uffizi Gallery is home to the largest collection of Italian and Florentine Renaissance art in the world, and Venice features Italy's finest modern art collection in the Guggenheim Museum Venice. These museums are family-friendly and fully accessible.

  1. Uffizi Gallery

    • Michelangelo's David is just one of the many masterpieces you'll see during your visit to the Uffizi Gallery.

      Designed for the Granduca Francisco de' Medici, son of Cosimo I, the Uffizi Gallery was built in 1581 by architect Giorgio Vasari. The museum houses the largest collection of Italian and Florentine Renaissance art in the world. Here you'll see Leonardo da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi," Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," Caravaggio's "The Sacrifice of Isaac," Lippi's "Coronation of the Virgin," and other works by masters such as Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, and Giotto. The galleries are grouped by influential artistic schools or periods showing the advancement of general European and Florentine art, beginning with the post-Byzantine work of Giotto and ending with contributions from Rubens, Tintoretto and others.

      Uffizi Gallery
      Piazzale degli Uffizi
      50122 Firenze FI
      Toscana
      Italy
      uffizi.com

    Vatican Museum

    • The Vatican Museum is a 'must see' for any art lover.

      One of the world's largest collections of art can be found in the Vatican Museum complex. Begun in the 16th century, the museum complex was one of the first opened to the public. You'll find Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, medieval, and Renaissance works along with the legendary Sistine Chapel. This is a "not-to-be-missed" collection. As of May 2010 the complex is open until 11:00 p.m.

      Vatican Museum
      Viale Vaticano
      Rome
      Italy
      00165
      011-39-06-698-84676
      mv.vatican.va

    Galleria Borghese

    • The National Estruscan Museum has some of the finest Etruscan works found to date.

      The Villa Borghese includes the Borghese Gallery, Spada Gallery, Open Museum of Tridente Barberini, Palace Corsini Gallery, Palazzo Ducale di Urbino, Venezia Palace, Musical Instruments, and Rocca Demaniale di Gradara. See works from Barberini, Raphael, Rubens, Caravaggio, Bernini, and many other masters. The National Etruscan Museum features some of the finest Etruscan art found to date, while the Spada Gallery has an impressive collection of statuary.

      Galleria Borghese
      Viale San Paolo del Brasile
      Rome
      Italy
      00197
      galleriaborghese.it

    Guggenheim Museum Venice

    • Along the Grand Canal you'll find the Guggenheim Museum Venice featuring early 20th century modern art.

      Located on the Grand Canal in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important collections of early 20th century European and American art in Italy. Inaugurated in 1980, the Guggenheim Museum Venice features Peggy Guggenheim's personal collection of 20th century art, masterpieces from the Gianni Mattioli Collection, and the Nasher Sculpture Garden, as well as temporary exhibitions.

      Guggenheim Museum Venice
      704 Dorsoduro
      Venice
      Italy
      I-30123
      guggenheim-venice.it

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