Galleria dell’Accademia

For most visitors the Galleria dell'Accademia means one thing: Michelangelo's David. The marble statue, carved between 1501 and 1504, stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio for more than three centuries before it was moved indoors in 1873 to protect it, and it has been the centre of this museum ever since. Seeing it in person, under the skylit tribune built specially for it, is a different experience from the copy outside the Palazzo Vecchio, and the detail of the hands, veins and gaze rewards a slow walk all the way round.

The approach to David is lined with Michelangelo's four unfinished Prisoners, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, along with his Saint Matthew. Half emerging from the stone, they show how he worked and are, for many people, as memorable as the David itself. The rest of the museum is often overlooked: rooms of Florentine painting from the 13th to the 16th centuries, with gold-ground altarpieces and works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Andrea del Sarto; the large hall with Giambologna's full-size plaster model for the Rape of the Sabine Women; and a musical instruments section, opened in 2001, with instruments by Stradivari, Amati and Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano.

The Accademia was founded in 1784 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo and is a compact museum, so an hour to ninety minutes is enough for most people. It is closed on Mondays. Queues on Via Ricasoli can be long, so buy a timed ticket in advance or use a Firenzecard; the first slot of the morning and the last hour of the day are usually the quietest. The museum is on one main level and is suitable for wheelchair users.

It works well for families and first-time visitors because the main attraction is so clear, and it pairs naturally with the Duomo or the Medici Chapels on the same morning. Large bags are not allowed, so travel light.

The museum is on Via Ricasoli in the San Marco area, about five minutes' walk north of the cathedral. The Museo di San Marco, with Fra Angelico's frescoes, and Piazza Santissima Annunziata are a few minutes further on.