Travel Reference
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in Coronation of the Virgin (1439-47) and don't miss his later Madonna and Child with
Two Angels (1460-65), an exquisite work that clearly influenced his pupil Sandro Botti-
celli.
The spectacular Sala del Botticelli, numbered 10 to 14 but in fact one large hall, is one
of the Uffizi's most popular rooms. Of the 15 works by the Renaissance master, Birth of
Venus (c 1485), La Primavera (Spring; c 1482), Annunciation (1489-90), Adoration of
the Magi (1475) and The Madonna of the Magnificat (1483) are the best known.
Room 15 displays two early Florentine works by Leonardo da Vinci: an incomplete
Adoration of the Magi (1481-82), drawn in red earth pigment; and his Annunciation (c
1475-80).
The naturalism inherent in the work of the Venetian school can be admired in room 28,
where 11 Titians are displayed. Masterpieces include the sensual nude Venus of Urbino
(1538), the seductive Flora (1515) and the striking portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga,
Duchess of Urbino (1536-37).
In room 35, Michelangelo dazzles with the Doni Tondo, a depiction of the Holy Family
that steals the High Renaissance show. The composition is unusual - Joseph holding an
exuberant Jesus on his muscled mother's shoulder as she twists round to gaze at him - and
the colours are as vibrant as when they were first applied in 1506-08.
Downstairs, the Sala di Caravaggio showcases three works by the phenomenally talen-
ted but criminally inclined painter.
Chiesa e Museo
di Orsanmichele
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CHURCH, MUSEUM
(Via dell'Arte della Lana; church 10am-5pm, museum 10am-5pm Mon) This unusual
church was created in the 14th century when the arcades of a grain market dating back to
1290 were walled in and two storeys were added. Its interior features a splendid Gothic
tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna.
The building's exterior is exquisitely decorated with niches and tabernacles bearing
statues representing the patron saints of Florence's many guilds. These were commis-
sioned in the 15th and 16th centuries after the signoria ordered the city's guilds to finance
the church's decoration, and they represent the work of some of the greatest Renaissance
artists. These days, copies adorn the building's exterior - the originals are beautifully dis-
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