Galleria dell’accademia/Friends of Florence Reviews

This place has one of the biggest draws in Florence. Michael Angelo's David is so impressive and the set up they have for displaying it is amazing. Aside from that they have several other statutes of stone/plaster. They also have a lot more pre renaissance art work than places like Ufizzi and the Pitti Palace.

If you are a true art lover, worth the wait. Arrive early and be prepared to wait if you do not reserve tickets. It is a smaller museum then what most people will expect, but the masterpieces here are breathtaking.

The room leading up to David should not be overlooked. Michelangelo's Prigioni (slaves) always catches my breath. These figures are mid-released from their stone encasements.

I could spend hours gazing at the minute details Michelangelo rendered with David, but be weary of the crowds and tours surrounding him. If you are patient and quietly do not rush in and snap a picture, you will understand why so many accolades are paid to him.

Enjoy!

Was just here for David. Did not need a primed ticket tbh, there was no line. Decent museum overall. A combined guide for uffizi and academia may be advisable

Superb museum, be careful to book before otherwise you will leave for 2 hours minimum.
Audio guide a bit expensive for its usefulness ...

Rich with history definitely on a bucket list anyone that can go should.

I expected bigger, more statues. With the exception of the David, nothing exceptional for my taste ... Michelangelo's masterpiece is worth the detour ... even if its copy is available for free at the foot of the Palachio Vecchio for non-purists ...

See David is priceless .... impressive, and I was scared by his size he is huge WONDERFUL ..... Not to mention there are other works by Michelangelo here at the Academy

Galleria dell'Accademia is essentially the David sculpture along with the "prisoners" sculptures. David is well placed with natural light coming in from above. But other than David, the rest of the museum is sort of small with lots of polytych panels and icon-ic art. There is one large room of sculptures but it was not open to visit only to be viewed from one corner.
There is also a small musical instrument wing, where I was astounded to learn that the hammer dulcimer did not originate in Appalachia. Huh.

The David is truly something special to see in person, and is worth the price of admission. The rest of the Academy is less memorable, however. There's a surprising amount of pre-Renaissance art, for an academy of that era. You may be best served visiting this stop relatively quickly in the morning and heading to the Uffizi for the lion's share of your art-appreciation day in Florence.

He asked me how does a person tear something like David from a piece of stone? Simply magnificent, perhaps my dictionary lacks the adequate word to qualify it.

Well it s got the sculpture of David by Michelangelo.

Statue of David was amazing! It, alone, was worth the price of entry.

This place is a must if you love history and art . It has the famous stature of David that was made by Michele Angelo in the 1500s . The galleria also has a bunch of other famous statutes and paintings . If you buy tickets on line I suggest you go early to pick up the real tickets because the lines are long to get a ticket and to pick up online tickets . I recommend this place located in the heart of Florence Italy .

Interesting museum although the main attraction is Michelangelo's David but there are many works to see such as the room dedicated to Giotto.

I do not hate it I find it impressive. Only the David is worth it even if there are queues, too many people ... it is to keep your mouth open

It is a unique museum for medieval pictorial art
Then there is the David ........

Museum where it is super hot in summer there is no air conditioning.
The place is good only for the statue of David.
The paintings are beautiful but everyone comes first for the statue and not the rest.
A very long wait or possibility to book your passage in advance (but generally 2 days later; you have to plan ahead)

The note above is due to the comparison with the Ufizzi Gallery, which is much more interesting. However, the Academia Gallery has some important works like Michelangelo's Davi. The collection of medieval paintings is also important.

This is a must, even if you are not knowledgeable about it . Michelangelo created one of the greatest pieces of art in the world in the David. If you just look at the gaze it is worth the trip. I will not go to Florence without visiting this statue.

The David is worthly visited, and you can take pictures!

Make sure you book a Skip the Line ticket online and note the reduced price for EU citizens <26 y/o, bring valid ID with you in that case. There was a long queue to get in, but our pre-booked tickets gave us instant access. The gallery is full of beautiful artwork from the Florentine golden age, including both renaissance and pre-renaissance works. There is also a small exhibition with old music instruments that is very interesting. The gallery isn't very large, so expect to spend 1-3 hrs in total depending on your interest.

... there are no words to describe it, you have to go!

David defies more than just Goliath! Pictures don't do David justice.

David is great, the rest is only interesting for lovers.

Amazing! If you're an art buff, take a guided tour! then, plan to revisit on your own!

To many tourists, visiting the Accademia has one purpose--to gaze at David. Unquestionably this statue is a masterpiece, a rendition of a perfect human with a face and body that is lifelike, determined, and above reproach. But there is more to this gallery--an entire room devoted to the plaster cast technique used to model statues before sculpting in the final marble, with hundreds of models from 1 inch to life-size. The Museum of Musical Instruments is also fascinating. On the subject of statues of David, we feel that Bernini's David in the Borghese in Rome is more emotional and interesting. But there's no question that Michelangelo's David is mesmerizing, a true work of art--a "must see".

Michelangelo s David is obvious jewel of the gallery, but other exhibits are also worth seeing. Statue of David is magnificent.
First Sunday of each month entry is free of charge.

The David is incredible and definitely worth seeing. The hall of plaster casts is interesting. The rest was not super interesting to me. Gets crowded.

The highlight of the museum is definitely the original David statue. The rest is less remarkable.

Incredible place to visit, wonderful works, very pleasant walk, very worth it!

It s a well run and beautifully laid out gallery, the statue is awesome in both size and presentation, there a a few unfinished works by Angelo in the same part and these require some explaining, it s a good idea to get a guide to explain to you, we used Get your Guide she was informative, considerate, and well versed in the great man himself. You cannot leave Florence without seeing this

Awesome! Especially the visit of Michellangello's David. Also very interesting is the collection of Renaissance paintings, especially Giotto's paintings.

The gallery owes a lot to his main work: Michelangelo's David, otherwise it is a fairly anonymous museum.
At the moment only the ground floor can be visited and I think this makes a visit to the gallery lose a lot.
There is also a Bartolini plaster cast collection which is very interesting.

The present masterpiece is Michelangelo's David, an interesting plaster cast.

Amazing experience. The statues and artwork is simply amazing. It's a must go to when in Florence. I would recommend buying tickets online.

I spent an hour admiring this magnificent work, if I get the chance, I want to see it again ... number 1 in all of Italy.

It was a good experience but a bit underwhelming if im honest.

If you are a fan of Michaelangelo's work, then you have to visit the Museum where much of his work is housed.

Smaller than I had expected. Queues were a bit confusing.

The statue of David is truly breathtaking and the only big attraction. To skip the line an additional fee of 4 is charged.

Ah! David...my eyes don't want to see anything after looking at it

The entrance to over 25 years is 12 euros.
It is a small museum where the most special thing to see is the statue of David.
It would be nice if they reduced the price of admission.

For those who do not understand are, the David and little else .. In Florence every first Sunday of every month the entrance to the national museums is free

It is a wonderful place, which you absolutely must visit.

A must for anyone visiting florence, who doesn't want to see the real david sculpted by Michelangelo over 500 years ago

Do not disappoint, you want to see more. For art lovers it is a must-see.

The works preserved in this gallery are not the best in Florence, but Michelangelo's David is enough to make this place unmissable and one of the best galleries in the world. Simply a masterpiece, you will not be disappointed

Can I pay a little 10 for the David statue only?
It will run out in 30 minutes.

To see the Prisoners pieces leading to Michaelangelo's The David and hearing the history of The David was great. Putting Michaelangelo's work here with the work at the Vatican in prospective was eye-opening

Awesome to see the David in person, but after visiting the Vatican Museums the rest was a little underwhelming. But don't get me wrong, it's definitely worth visiting.

Great to see the most famous statue in the world. Do it with a guide.

Michelangelo s David is a must-see! I was hesitant to go visit this place because I heard that the only thing to see was the David but the Gallery also housed a very interesting sculpture room and fabric exhibit. Additionally, the ticket also included access into the music museum. Definitely worth a visit!

I went on the 1st Sunday of November and it was free. I queued for about 40 min. It is not very big, but you will be able to see very good works of art, especially the sculptures, the most important being David!

Watching the David inside the museum is always impressive. It's not the same outside because here it's easier to understand the scale.

The paintings were "suffering" from the high temperature and I don't think they remain indifferent to the climate; the lighting system, which could contribute to enhancing the works, should also be reviewed. Same goes for the plaster room, very, perhaps too hot. In fact, in the musical instruments and icons department the temperature was kept cooler.

Take advantage of the fact that the vast majority of visitors come only for the David to enjoy in peace the rest of the museum which fully deserves it. Skip the line ticket or FirenzeCard absolutely essential unless you like to queue for hours ...
Of course you have to take a little time to admire the David by elbowing a little ;-))

David is worth seeking! Get tickets online ahead of time!

Renaissance art museum. It is not very large so it can be visited in a couple of hours going calmly. Obviously the main attraction is Michelangelo's David. The rest of the rooms are full of sacred art paintings. Reservations are recommended, otherwise you have to prepare yourself for a long time. I found the exhibition on Renaissance musical instruments really interesting.

Everyone goes for David and we did too. We are huge fans of art and were a little upset at how little this museum was. David was breathtaking and the musical instrument section was also amazing. We were unable to walk through the other sculptures though which was a little saddening!

Amazingly beautiful pieces of art. So worth the effort to see the original statue of David in person.

Saw the most famous statue in the world here - Michangelo's David. That alone is worth the trouble to gain entry into this museum.