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Galleria dell'Accademia

Home of Michelangelo's David

Stand face-to-face with the world's most famous sculpture

Book Skip-the-Line Tickets Get Early Access

🎨 Essential Visitor Information

📍

Via Ricasoli 58/60

Near Piazza San Marco

🕒

Tue-Sun 8:15am-6:50pm

Closed Mondays

⏱️

1-2 Hours

Perfect morning visit

💶

From €16-25

Book ahead online

🧭 Why Visit

One statue justifies the museum: David, seventeen feet of marble decision, displayed under the dome built for him. The unfinished Prisoners lining the approach, figures straining out of raw stone, are the deeper Michelangelo lesson.

🏛️ A Little History

Founded in 1784 as a teaching collection for the art academy, the gallery became David's home in 1873 when the original was walked in from Piazza della Signoria over five days on rails, saving it from four centuries of weather.

💡 Did You Know?

The marble block came ruined. Quarried forty years earlier, worked and abandoned by two other sculptors, it lay in the cathedral yard until Michelangelo, 26, took 'the Giant' and cut the world's most famous statue from a piece everyone else had given up on.

THE PRISONERS

Michelangelo's Unfinished Slaves

Four figures left half caught in the marble, carved for a papal tomb that was never finished. They line the corridor that leads to David, and many people find them the more moving room.

Michelangelo's Atlas Slave with an uncarved block of marble over the head — **The Atlas Slave**The Atlas Slave carries a mass of unhewn stone where the head should be, which is how it takes its name. It is the least finished and the most physical of the four Prisoners.

Michelangelo's unfinished Awakening Slave twisting out of the marble — **The Awakening Slave**The figure twists as if pulling free of the block, the muscles of the back and side caught mid effort. Michelangelo left deep claw chisel marks across the surface.

Michelangelo's unfinished Bearded Slave emerging from a rough marble block — **The Bearded Slave**Still half caught in the block. The torso is nearly polished while the stone around the feet stays rough.

Michelangelo's unfinished Young Slave with one arm raised over the head — **The Young Slave**One arm raised over the bowed head. The lower body is barely begun, so the figure seems to sink back into the marble.

The Gallery of the Prisoners at the Accademia with David lit at the far end — **The corridor to David**The Prisoners line the hall, and David stands lit under the dome at the far end.

OTHER SCULPTURE

Beyond the Prisoners

A Pieta whose attribution is still argued over, the Saint Matthew Michelangelo began for the Duomo and abandoned, and the plaster Giambologna worked from.

The Palestrina Pieta, a marble group of the dead Christ supported by two figures — **The Palestrina Pieta**A large marble group of the dead Christ held between two figures. Its attribution to Michelangelo is debated, and the surface stays rough in places.

Michelangelo's unfinished Saint Matthew emerging from a marble block — **Saint Matthew**The only one of the apostles Michelangelo planned for the Duomo that he ever began. The figure steps and turns inside the block with the head still buried in stone.

A portrait bust of a bearded man displayed at the Accademia — **A portrait bust**A bearded man in a heavy cloak, modeled with a lined and watchful face.

Giambologna's plaster model of the Rape of the Sabine Women, three spiraling figures — **Giambologna in plaster**The full scale model for the Rape of the Sabine Women, whose marble now stands under the Loggia dei Lanzi. The spiral of three figures is meant to be read from every side.

THE PAINTING GALLERIES

Gold Ground to Mannerism

Most visitors walk past these rooms. They run from late medieval gold-ground panels to crowded Mannerist altarpieces, with a Botticelli workshop panel on the way.

Detail of the Adimari Cassone showing a Florentine wedding procession — **The Adimari Cassone**A wedding procession in fifteenth century Florentine dress beneath a striped awning, painted with real attention to fashion.

A Renaissance Annunciation with the angel and the Virgin in a painted loggia — **An Annunciation**The angel kneels at left, the Virgin receives the news at right, and the receding arches show off the new interest in perspective.

A Renaissance panel painting of the Deposition of Christ — **The Deposition**The body of Christ lowered from the cross by mourning figures, the reds and greens bright against the gallery wall.

A crowded Mannerist altarpiece with many figures around a central saint — **A Mannerist altarpiece**Twisting poses and shot colors crowd around a central saint.

A Botticelli workshop panel of the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence — **The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence**From Botticelli's workshop, the saint stretched over the grill as figures work around him.

Raffaellino del Garbo's Resurrection of Christ with soldiers around the tomb — **The Resurrection**Attributed to Raffaellino del Garbo, with the risen Christ above soldiers sprawled around the open tomb.

Pacino di Bonaguida's Tree of Life panel with Christ on a branching tree of roundels — **The Tree of Life**Pacino di Bonaguida set the crucified Christ at the trunk and branched scenes out like fruit. The gold ground still carries its late medieval glow.

THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

The Conservatory Collection

The Cherubini Conservatory's historic instruments are kept here, including Medici court pieces. It is the quietest room in the building.

An antique keyboard instrument seen from above through its display case — **An antique keyboard**Seen from above through the case, the soundboard showing its long runs of strings and the rose over the sound hole.

Trombones and coiled natural horns in a brass instrument case — **Trombones and horns**Three trombones above a pair of coiled natural horns. The horns have no valves, so the player changed notes by lip and by a hand in the bell.

A mandolino and a Baroque guitar in adjacent display cases — **Mandolino and guitar**Both built for amateur music making in eighteenth century Italy, the rounded back of the mandolino against the flat guitar beside it.

A museum case of percussion including kettledrums and a bell-hung Turkish crescent — **The percussion case**A keyed glockenspiel, a triangle, a Turkish crescent hung with bells, and kettledrums below. The crescent came into European bands with the taste for Janissary music.

🏛️ Explore the Collection

📷 Gallery

🗿

Michelangelo's David

The original, in the Tribuna built to hold him. Skip the line and walk the corridor of the Prisoners on the way in.

Live Prices & Availability

🎫 Booking Tips

Book at least 1-2 weeks ahead in high season
First entry at 8:15am or after 4pm for fewer crowds
Combo tickets with Uffizi save time and money

👀 Viewing Tips

Walk around David for different perspectives
See the Prisoners sculptures before David for context
Don't miss the painting galleries upstairs

📱 Practical Info

Photos allowed but no flash or tripods
Free bag check for large bags and umbrellas
Audio guides available in 8 languages (€6)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why must I book tickets in advance?

The Accademia limits daily visitors to protect the artworks. During peak season (April-October), same-day tickets are rarely available. Lines for walk-up tickets can exceed 2 hours.

Is this the original David?

Yes, this is Michelangelo's original marble David, carved from a single block between 1501-1504. The replicas in Piazza della Signoria and Piazzale Michelangelo are copies.

How much time do I need?

Most visitors spend 45-90 minutes. If you're mainly interested in David, 45 minutes is sufficient. Art enthusiasts should allow 2 hours to see everything including the paintings.

What else is there besides David?

The gallery houses Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners, a collection of Renaissance paintings, plaster casts, and a unique collection of historical musical instruments.

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