• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
the tour guy travel blog

The Tour Guythe tour guy travel blog

Book tours, activities, and attractions with The Tour Guy

  • Destinations
    • Amalfi Coast & Pompeii
    • Amsterdam
    • Athens
    • Barcelona
    • Capri
    • Florence
    • Granada
    • Las Vegas
    • London
    • Madrid
    • Milan
    • New York City
    • Paris
    • Rome
    • San Francisco
    • Segovia
    • Tuscany
    • Vatican City
    • Venice
  • Attractions
    • 9/11 Memorial
    • Accademia Gallery
    • Acropolis
    • Alcázar of Segovia
    • Alhambra
    • Borghese Gallery
    • Buckingham Palace
    • Colosseum
    • Doge’s Palace
    • Eiffel Tower
    • Louvre Museum
    • The Met
    • Montserrat Monastery
    • Pantheon
    • Paris Catacombs
    • Sagrada Familia
    • Sistine Chapel
    • St. Mark’s Basilica
    • St. Peter’s Basilica
    • Statue of Liberty
    • Stonehenge
    • The Last Supper
    • Tower of London
    • Uffizi Gallery
    • Vatican Museum
    • Versailles
    • Westminster Abbey
    • Windsor Castle
  • Shop Tours
  • Sign In
Home > travel-blog > Did You Know There’s an Accademia Gallery in Florence and Venice?

Did You Know There’s an Accademia Gallery in Florence and Venice?

Sean Finelli Last Updated: November 18, 2022

Both galleries were founded together with art schools and are still located in their original buildings. These institutions were founded more than 200 years ago. The cities of Venice and Florence both established them to repair and maintain the many artworks in public property of the two cities. Like many art galleries, both have a star in their vast collections: these very special pieces of art come both from Tuscan artists, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. In this guide, discover the similarities and differences between the Accademia Gallery in Florence and Venice.


Hey, we sell tours too!

We’re here to provide you with all of the information you need for a great vacation, but more than anything, we’d love to show you around once you get to Italy. Check out our Florence and Venice tours and pick which ones are best for your itinerary.

Accademia Gallery in Florence

Accademia Florence

The Accademia Gallery in Florence is the 4th most visited museum in Italy with over 1.4 million visitors each year, mostly because of Michelangelo’s David, exposed in the halls of the Via Ricasoli Palazzo. It has been welcoming visitors year-round since 1872. In that year, the city of Florence decided to move the 12,000-pound David statue from Piazza della Signoria indoors, to a museum, to protect it from decay. You should also know that the Accademia Gallery in Florence is the museum with the highest number of Michelangelo’s sculptures in the world. Michelangelo was one of the most important Italian sculptors, painters, architects of the Renaissance born in Florence in 1475. The Accademia is definitely worth a visit if you plan to visit the romantic Tuscan city.

Accademia Gallery in Venice

Accademia Gallery Venice

In the Venetian Accademia Gallery, you will find fewer sculptures and more paintings. The collection includes paintings of Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Bellini and Veronese. Interestingly, the names for the originally Venetian drink “Bellini” and the “Carpaccio” dish were inspired by the colors of these paintings. The former is a dish with raw meat, decorated with herbs, oil and vegetables and got its name from the similarity to the colorful Carpaccio paintings hanging in the Accademia. The “Bellini” is a peach-colored cocktail, invented at Harry’s Bar near St. Mark’s Square in the 1940s. The unique color reminded its inventor of a saint’s toga in a painting of Giovanni Bellini. Admire these meters-high paintings and their colors in the many high halls of this very special art gallery in Venice. Audio guides are available for easy understanding as well as guided tours in many languages.

The Accademia’s Main Artworks

Michelangelo’s David (Florence)

David Florence

Standing at a whopping 17-feet tall, Michelangelo’s David inside of the Accademia in Florence needs no introduction. As you shuffle through the maze of separate rooms inside of the Accademia, you’ll see a myriad of signs pointing to the museum’s main event. Finally, the sculpture will appear right in front of you in a grandiose hall, standing in an elegant rotunda. After tons of controversy over where the original Statue of David should be placed, he now stands in all of his glory on an earthquake-sensitive platform. Make sure you visit this iconic sculpture on a guided tour during your visit to Florence.

Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man (Venice)

Vitruvian Man

The Accademia Gallery of Venice has its star too: The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci created in 1487. The drawing of ink on paper depicts a man inscribed in a circle and square. The 13.6×10 inch large paper sheet is often referred to as the “Proportions of Man”. In contrast to Michelangelo’s David, the Accademia of Venice keeps this very special piece of art hidden from the public most of the time. Because of its sensitivity to light exposure and the threat of microorganisms in the air, it is only shown in the context of extraordinary exhibitions of the museum. In 2019, you have the rare opportunity to see it.

In 2019, an exhibition is organized at the Accademia showing thirty-five signed drawings, including the historically important Vitruvian Man. The objects will be on display from April 17 to July 14 and visitors will be able to retrace the fundamental stages of the master’s life and be able to look at twenty-five drawings created by Leonardo da Vinci during his stay in Venice in the early years of the 1500s. The occasion of the exhibition is the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci (1519-2019).

When you see the drawing of the “Vitruvian Man” you will observe that it has annotations, which were made by architect Vitruvius who described the human figure as the principal source of proportion. There are two overlapping men pictured, both with different centres, one center are the genitals and the other one is the navel. The length of the men’s foot is exactly 1/7 of the men’s height, this is annotated on the drawing too.

How to Visit the Accademia Galleries

Florence

The Accademia Gallery in Florence is very easy to access, as it’s right in the heart of the city. If you take a guided Statue of David tour, you won’t even have to worry about the directions, as your guide will lead you directly to the museum. If you’re doing a solo visit though, it’s a very easy walk down Via Ricasoli from Piazza del Duomo.

Venice

You can reach the “Gallerie dell’Accademia” by taking the vaporetto lines 1 or 2 or by foot in about 20 minutes from Saint Mark’s square and 30 minutes from Piazzale Roma/Train Station. They are located right next to the Accademia Bridge and many signs all over the city will show you the way to it. The regular fare is EUR 15.00, children below 18 years enter free. EU-Citizens below the age of 26 are eligible to a discount. The museum opens at 8:15 a.m. and closes at 19:15am, except Monday were closure is scheduled at 2 p.m.


I Want More Italy!

  • If you want us to arrange the entertainment in Venice (and beyond!), contact our Trip Planning Team to coordinate an unforgettable Italian experience.
  • Check out our YouTube video and step-by-step guide about how to do Venice in a Day. If you’d rather let us guide you, check out our Venice tours.
  • Follow our adventures in Italy on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Then, comment and tell us what you want us to cover next.

Accademia Gallery Pinterest

About Sean Finelli

Sean is a co-founder and owner of The Tour Guy and its subsidiary The Roman Guy. He studied finance and statistics, but that is his "Dr. Jekyll" side! His "Mr. Hyde" is in love with travel, art, history, and culture. Sean has read libraries of historical text and believes that all internet content should come from books. A practice he follows!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

florence best view the tour guy

Want a great experience in Florence?

See our latest deals on Florence tours!

why the tour guy

Why The Tour Guy?

check mark

Top Rated Tour Company in Europe

check mark

Thousands of 5 star Customer Reviews

check mark

Providing Tours for 10+ Years

check mark

Best Access to the Monuments You Want to See

check mark

More Departure Times Each Day

See Florence Tours

Related Posts

  • 8 Great Restaurants Near the Accademia Gallery in Florence
    8 Great Restaurants Near the Accademia Gallery in Florence
  • Top Things To See at the Accademia Gallery in Florence in 2023
    Top Things To See at the Accademia Gallery in Florence in…
  • 11 Astounding Facts the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
    11 Astounding Facts the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
  • Is an Uffizi Gallery Tour in Florence Worth It?
    Is an Uffizi Gallery Tour in Florence Worth It?
The best hotels in Florence

Best Florence hotels
this year!

Footer

COMPANY

  • About Us
  • Travel Guide
  • In The Press

POLICY & TERMS

  • Cancellation Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

CONTACT US

  • USA or Canada: +1 888 290 5595
  • Italy: +39 06 9480 4747
  • UK: +44 800 808 5370
  • Australia: +61 1300 113 254
  • France: +33 1 70700 898
  • Email: [email protected]

FIND US ON

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

WE ACCEPT

we accept payments

Copyright © 2023 The Tour Guy. All rights reserved.