The Galleria dell'Accademia

The Galleria dell'Accademia is located on Via Ricasoli, which you can reach from the Duomo (cathedral) by taking Via Ricasoli directly to the museum.

 

Address: 60 Via Ricasoli

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15–18:50. Closed on Monday.

Admission: €20 (€23 from 15 December 2026 to 2 May 2027), + €4 reservation fee. Combined ticket Accademia + Bargello: €26 (valid for 48 hours).

 

The Academy of Fine Arts was founded by Cosimo I in 1562 to allow students to study the works of the great masters of the past. It was opened to the public in 1784.

 

You can see works of Tuscan painting and sculpture from the 13th to the 16th century.

Michelangelo's sculptures alone are worth the visit: the Captives intended for the tomb of Julius II, but unfinished, the Pietà of Palestrina (but its attribution is controversial) and of course, in the tribune, the famous David. It was sculpted from a block of marble 4 m high, but judged unusable, because it had a flaw.

Michelangelo nevertheless completed his work in less than 3 years. He presents David with an athletic body, pensive, the sling over his shoulder, but aware of the future that awaits him. First intended for the Duomo, it was finally placed in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, at that time the Palazzo Publico, a symbol of Florence's regained freedom. It was placed in safekeeping at the Academy in 1873.