One of the most visited sights to see in Florence, the Uffizi Palace is certainly an architectural masterpiece, hosting numerous works of art of unestimated value. The Uffizi, meaning "judicial magistrate", was aimed to house the 13 administrative jurisdictions, which at the time were found in Palazzo Vecchio, located in Piazza della Signoria, which had become too small to hold them all. The job was commissioned to Giorgio Vasari by the Grand Duke Cosimo I of the Medici family in the mid 1500's. In order to build this palace, the nearby church of San Pier Scheraggio was almost completely demolished preserving only its central aisle. Vasari died before his project was completed and the work passed on to Bernardo Buontalenti. Buontalenti carried out the Tribune in 1584 and the Medici Theatre in 1586. The theater hosted many famous performances as well as serving as the seat of the senate while Florence was the capital of Italy.
Around the same time, Franceso I, son of Cosimo, decided to transform the Palace into a museum on the site of the old Court Theatre built by Buontalenti, closing the second floor with large windows. The theater was demolished in 1889 and today occupies two floors, which include the Gallery of Prints and Drawings. The Palace consists of two parallel main bodies conjoined by a large corridor with six high arched windows that overlook the Arno River and the courtyard. A portico, sustained by pillars, runs along the entire length of the Palace and its niches are lined with famous Florentine statues; representations from the middle ages up to the 19th century.
