Florence  (Tuscany): pop. 493,000 [ MAP ] 

Academy Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia): the Museum houses a collection of sculptures and paintings from 13rd and 14th centuries, as well as 15th and 16th centuries. It also preserves several works by Michelangelo Buonarroti, among which the most important is “David”, one of the most famous statues in the world, whose copy is placed in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Over time the Gallery has become one of the main museums in town, also thanks to the acquisition of some extraordinary masterpieces, such as the "Pieta" by Giovanni da Milano (14th century); the "Annunciation" by Lorenzo Monaco (15th century); the splendid frontal called "Cassone Adimari" showing a sumptuous marriage procession (c. 1450) and the "Madonna of the Sea" attributed to Botticelli (1445-1510).

Must see:

• The first room contains the original plaster model by Giambologna for the marble sculptures of the Rape of the Sabine (Loggia dei Lanzi) and 16th century works from the Mannerist school.
• Deposition of the Cross by Filippo Lippi
• Cristo in Pietà by Andrea del Sarto
• Galleria dei Prigionieri, a corridor hosting a series of incomplete sculptures by Michelangelo.
• The Captives
• Michelangelo's David (1502-4), representing an a heroic and athletic figure and the symbol of the freedom of the Florentine Republic. One copy can be found in Piazzale Michelangelo and another copy in Piazza della Signoria.
• The famous bronze bust of Michelangelo by his pupil Daniele da Volterra,
• The so-called Pietà di Palestrina, attributed to Michelangelo.
• A series of rooms containing the famous "Cassone Adimari", showing an elegant wedding procession in Piazza Duomo, by Masaccio's brother, 1420).
• "Annunciazione" by Lorenzo Monaco,15th C
• Madonna and Child, attributed to Botticelli,
• Other works by Florentine artists and by Perugino.
•  A large collection of plaster casts by 19th century Tuscan artists.
• Rooms containing many paintings by pupils of Giotto dating back to 13th and 14th century, among which the Mary Magdalene by Giotto, the Pietà by Giovanni da Milano (1365), Stories of St. Francis and Christ by Taddeo Gaddi.
• Sale Bizantine (Byzantine Halls) where examples of Florentine painting of the 14th century are gathered
  
  Recently the gallery has been enriched by the Museum of  Musical Instruments displaying about 50 pieces of great value among which a 17th C Viola  and a 18th C Violin  of Antonio Stradivari and the most ancient upright piano.
  
  -Address:  Academy Gallery -  Via Ricasoli, 60 - Florence
    Easy access for handicapped