You may not believe it, but the hardest part of writing this article was choosing museums. Italy has nearly 4,500 museums and galleries, each of which has its own attractions that cannot be missed. Italy is the country of art; Art drips from its buildings, streets, doors and walls. Every year, millions of people travel to Italy to visit the monuments of the past, works of art, architecture and culture of this country. So what better place than museums? Whether you are looking for ancient history or contemporary art, cinema or cars; Italy will always have an amazing offer for your sightseeing. In this article, we have introduced 10 of the most important museums in Italy and tried to make them suitable for every taste and culture.
Uffizi Gallery in Florence
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is one of the most important and oldest museums in Italy and the world. This museum attracts every art-loving tourist because of the masterpieces of Western art that are housed there.
This building was built between 1560 and 1581 by Giorgio Vasari as an office for merchants and judges. The reason for naming Uffizi was the same; In Italian, Uffizi means Office. After some time, the upper floor of this building became known as the private gallery of the Medici family, which was full of unique sculptures and works of art, and only special guests of this family could visit this collection. After years, the collection of artworks in this building expanded until in 1769, the doors of this building were opened to the public as a museum. The Uffizi Museum has 93 rooms, visiting this museum starts from the second floor, which includes rooms number 1 to 45, and then reaches the second floor and rooms 46 to 93.
This museum is known among the people of the world for its unique works of art from the most famous artists in the world and has more than two million visitors every year. In short, one of the most important works in this museum is the famous painting The Birth of Venus and Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, a famous Florentine painter of the Renaissance era, which is located in the 10th to 14th hall. Michelangelo’s valuable work of art, Doni Tondo or the Holy Family, is also in its original frame in this museum. Among the other paintings in this museum, we should mention the painting of Venus by Titan and the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci.
The building of this museum itself is considered a work of art. The only negative point about the Uffizi Museum is that there are many things to see in this museum, while the time to visit all the works of art is short, so it is better to visit the museum early in the morning and to save your time, make a list in advance. Stock up on your favorite works of art to be sure to visit them before you are overwhelmed by the greatness of this museum.
National Archaeological Museum in Naples
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples is the most important archaeological museum in Italy. This collection includes a wide range of ancient treasures from Greece, Rome and Egypt, which is a testimony to the importance of the relationship between these countries in the years before Christ. The building of this museum was first built in 1585 for military purposes, but it was converted into a museum in the 19th century.
The main part of this museum is the collection of ancient works of Farnes, which includes various masterpieces, including marble statues and carved stones. Among the important works of the National Museum of Archeology, we can mention the statue of Hercules, the figure of Venus and the Atlas of Farnes. One of the attractions of this museum is the mosaics and works left from the remains of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were destroyed by the eruption of the volcano in the past.
Various audio tourism tours in Italian, Spanish, German, English and French languages, as well as face-to-face tours in both English and Italian languages are organized for each person in this museum, and it is better to ask for their help for a detailed tour of the museum.
Visiting the National Museum of Archeology will definitely be one of the most interesting experiences of your trip. In order not to miss any of the sights of the museum, we suggest that you visit the museum’s official website in advance and write down the information you need in advance. The presence of a metro station near the museum has made it easier for tourists to access it.
Egyptian Museum in Turin
Another one of the most important museums in Italy is the Egyptian Museum of Turin, which has received worldwide attention due to its extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities and the validity of scientific research. The Egyptian Museum of Turin is compared with the most important museums in the world, including the British Museum in London and the Louvre Museum in Paris. As soon as you enter this museum, you will step into this country without having traveled to Egypt!
The Egyptian Museum was formed in 1824 using the huge collection collected by the French general, Bernardino Drovetti. This collection included 5268 pieces of ancient artifacts, including all kinds of statues, mummies, etc., which the general had collected during his stay in Egypt. During the years 1833 to 1960, many ancient works were added to this museum in different ways; This caused the Egyptian Museum to become one of the most important archaeological museums over time. You may be interested to know that Jean-Francois Champollion, one of the historical researchers, was able to decipher the alphabet and grammar of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs with the help of the works in this museum.
The Egyptian Museum of Archeology has undergone significant renovations in recent years and now has new sections, including large screens that play 3D movies of ancient artifacts, these movies bring the brilliance of the advanced and civilized culture of that era to life in front of the visitors, and a different experience of visiting the museum for You make a figure. The central part of the museum is Kha’s tomb, which dates back to 3500 BC. Other spectacular artifacts in this museum include the list of Turin kings, the statue of Ramses II, coffins, mummies and a huge collection of papyri.
This museum, like other large museums, has various audio and in-person tours, and to check all its conditions, it is enough to visit the official website of the Egyptian Museum of Turin.
The Ferrari Museum in Marnelo
If you are one of those people who always follow the news about cars and you are dying to try their latest model, you should definitely visit the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. The Ferrari Museum in Italy is a place to display cars produced by the famous manufacturer, Ferrari, which was founded in 1990. This exhibition has six large main halls; In each of these halls, you can see the Ferraris that have been built by Sergio in the last 60 years. See designed. Nearly 180,000 people visit this museum every year.
In the Ferrari museum, you will learn about the history of this factory and its types of cars. Perhaps the most attractive part of this museum are the simulated cars through which you can experience the thrill of driving a Formula One car.
Vatican Museums in Rome
Among Italian museums, the Vatican Museum is one of the most important; Museums that were established in the 16th century. The Vatican Museum has about 6 million visitors annually, which makes it the fourth most visited museum in the world. The Vatican Museums contain valuable treasures collected by the Roman Catholic Church throughout history; It contains several different galleries and museums that house unique works of art and history, from classical sculptures and Renaissance artwork to the Sistine Chapel with its frescoes by Michelangelo and the Pope’s carriages and cars.
The Vatican Museums contain approximately 70,000 works of art, of which about 20,000 are on display. This museum is so big that almost 640 people are working in its administrative, restoration and scientific departments.
Now we want to briefly introduce some important parts of this museum:
- Pinacottica Gallery: It is an important part of the Vatican Museum, where the paintings of famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Godot Reni, etc. are located.
- Collection of contemporary works of art: This collection was added to this museum in 1973 and contains a large number of paintings by famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, etc.
- Vatican Historical Museum: This museum was established in 1973 and has a complete collection of portraits of popes since the 16th century.
- Pio Clementino Museum: This museum is dedicated to ancient sculptures and contains several important galleries.
There are so many things to see in these museums that choosing and explaining each and every one of this collection does not fit in this short introduction, so what better way to include a visit to this great museum in your travel plan. Visiting the Vatican Museums in Italy is free on the last Sunday of every month, but be aware that on this day you will face a very long line to enter the museum.
National Cinema Museum in Turin (The National Museum of Cinema)
The National Cinema Museum is located in the city of Turin, Italy, which depicts the history of cinema through the equipment and artifacts left from the first days of film production until today. This museum is located in one of the tallest buildings in Turin called Antonelliana. The National Museum of Cinema was founded in 1941 by a person named Maria Adriana Prolo.
This museum has a huge collection of 20,000 devices, paintings and prints, more than 300,000 movie posters, 12,000 movie reels, and nearly 26,000 books related to cinema, etc. The National Museum hosts several important film festivals, including the Torino Film Festival. If you are a fan of movies and cinema, you must go to this museum to get to know the history of cinema, photography and filming and visit its unique archive.
Borghese Gallery in Rome (Galleria Borghese)
Borges Museum or Gallery is one of the main museums in Italy and an important sight in Rome that you should not miss during your trip to this country. This gallery was established in the form of a villa with a garden in 1613 by a cardinal of the same name. Cardinal was interested in collecting works of art and displayed an impressive collection of Roman, Renaissance and Baroque works of art in this museum, which has been one of the most prestigious galleries in this city until now.
Borges Gallery has 20 rooms located on two large floors. This gallery is a good place to visit the most important works of painting and sculpture. If we want to mention some of the important works of this collection, first of all, we should put the name of the sculptures made by Bernini at the top of the list, which attracts many visitors. Another famous work of this gallery is the half-naked statue of Pauline Bonaparte (Napoleon’s sister), which was made by the famous neoclassical sculptor, Antonio Canova. The interior of the gallery is full of paintings and works of art of famous artists such as Raphael, Titian, Rubens, etc., from the door and the walls to the ceiling, which you will not get enough of seeing. Don’t forget to reserve your ticket online from the museum website before going to this gallery so that you have enough time to visit all the works. Visiting this museum is free on the first Sunday of every month.
Gallery of the Academy of Florence
The Florence Academy Gallery is actually an art museum located in the city of Florence, Italy. This gallery was established in 1784. Although this museum contains important works of art by famous Florentine artists from the years 1300 to 1600, most of the visitors of this museum include visiting this gallery in their itinerary for one reason only: the important and outstanding work of Michelangelo, the statue of David. . This statue is made of marble with a height of 5 meters and is considered one of the unique masterpieces of the Renaissance era.
Of course, it should be noted that a collection of Michelangelo’s sculptures, including 4 of his semi-finished works, are located in this gallery. Another attraction of this museum is its collection of musical instruments, which was exhibited in 2001 and presents the history of the development of musical instruments in front of your eyes.
In 2016, the Accademia Gallery in Florence was announced as the second most visited museum in Italy after the Uffizi Museum. This museum is smaller and more special than the Uffizi museum. So, with all these explanations, we have to say, is it possible to travel to Florence and not see the statue of David? It goes without saying that the Florence Museum is one of the most popular museums in Italy.
Just don’t forget that it is difficult to visit this museum without booking a ticket. Book your ticket in advance so you don’t lose time in long queues.
Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome
St. Angelo Castle is a large and cylindrical castle located in Rome and is considered one of the most prominent architectures of this city. The name of this castle means “Castle of the Holy Angel”. This castle was built by Hadrian, the Roman emperor as a family tomb on the banks of the Tiber river, but later it underwent changes and was used as a military barracks and prison for a while, until it is now known as a museum among the people. . Sant’Angelo can be known as one of the oldest museums in Italy.
This building was initially known by the same name as Hadrian until the plague spread in Rome in 590 AD. During the time when people were struggling with this disease, Pope Gregory saw an angel with a sword on top of this tomb, which they considered a sign of the end of this disease. In recognition of this event, Pope Gregory ordered the construction of a small church in this castle and finally the name of the castle was changed to Saint Angelo, even now the statue of this angel can be seen on top of the castle.
The Ponte Sant’Angelo, which leads to the castle, offers visitors a spectacular view. On your trip to Italy, give yourself a chance, cross this bridge and enter the castle. Visit the National Museum of the Castle, the Pope’s Mausoleum and the Second Floor Prison, and finally visit the Terrace Cafe on the top floor to treat yourself to a coffee.
Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence
Leonardo da Vinci Museum is a fascinating place for da Vinci fans, historians, scientists. It is interesting to know that there are no Da Vinci artworks in this museum, the Da Vinci Museum focuses on the inventions of this artist and reproduces some of his masterpieces. As you know, Da Vinci did a lot of research on human anatomy and this museum is a good opportunity to get to know another dimension of the mind of this mysterious artist.
Visiting this museum is an interactive and direct experience. Da Vinci Museum’s teachings are based on the famous da Vinci machines; In addition, witness the reproduction of Da Vinci’s original works, including the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper, in high definition. In this museum, there are more than 40 machines based on Da Vinci’s models, and by looking at them, we will come to the conclusion that Da Vinci was far ahead of his time. To guide visitors inside the museum, there are many explanatory panels in Italian, French, English, Spanish and Russian that accompany you throughout the exhibition.
The good news in this visit is the workshop section of the museum. In the Da Vinci Museum workshops, visitors are given the opportunity to test the reconstruction of some of Da Vinci’s inventions, use their intelligence and creativity to enjoy the inventions of the past and its function in the present. Visiting the Da Vinci Museum will be enjoyable for both adults and children.
Italy of museums or Italian museums
Italy, by having a large number of large and prestigious museums, has turned itself into a country of museums. On the other hand, when you visit some of the cities of this country, such as Rome, you feel like you are walking in a large museum. A city where every corner has a historical or ancient landmark. Therefore, apart from talking about Italian museums, we can also consider Italy as a country of museums.
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