Special Women’s Day Exhibition, Openings & Illumination

There are additional special events in Florence for International Women’s Day to add to the already announced museum openings.

Uffizi Gallery

A virtual exhibition of self-portraits of great women artists will be visible on the Uffizi Gallery website starting on March 8.  Spanning the time period from the 18th century to today, the artists include Angelica Kauffmann, Elisabeth Chaplin, Niki de Saint Phalle, Patti Smith and Yayoi Kusama.

The self-portraits of women in the Uffizi collections can be visited on www.uffizi.it/ipervisioni from the morning onwards. The virtual visitor is invited to discover stories of artists and their different styles, reflecting evolution in art.

The Innocents Institute

The facade of the Innocents Institute (Loggiato dell’Istituto degli Innocenti) will light up in yellow in homage to International Women’s Day, but also to honor all women and children from the Ukraine. From 6:30 pm and on, the building will be illuminated in a warm yellow color, representing the mimosa flower, which is the symbol of International Women’s Day.

“It’s a tribute to all women. This year, however, our thoughts will go to all Ukrainian women and children affected by the war. We want to dedicate this day to them,” Maria Grazia Giuffrida, the president of the Institute, stated.

The Institute has communicated its willingness to the Commission for International Adoptions and the Italian government as a resource to host Ukrainian children and young people fleeing their home country.

Bargello Museums

The Bargello Museum complex offers free admission to all women at the Bargello, the Palazzo Davanzati and Orsanmichele on March 8.

Donatello is represented at the Bargello National Sculpture Museum by St. George and the Dragon and the Marzocco (the lion symbol of Florence) in addition to his original take on David, which predates the one in the Academy Gallery.  Michelangelo, on his part, has four sculptures, including the celebrated Pitti Tondo. Brunelleschi’s and Ghiberti’s panels in competition to be awarded the commission for the Florence Baptistery doors are also on display, along with decorative arts down the ages, ranging from ceramics to textiles.

Visitors to Palazzo Davanzati can come in contact with the ambiance and daily life of  the Middle Ages and the Renaissance at the Palazzo Davanzati. The museum is the only example of a fourteenth-century Florentine residence that has survived the passage of time.  The Orsanmichele was a medieval granary of Florence, transformed into a church. On the ground floor, are works of the most famous Florentine artists of the 14th and 15th centuries including Bernardo Daddi and Andrea Orcagna.

Opening hours:

Bargello: 8:45 am – 1:30 pm

Palazzo Davanzati: 8:45 am – 1:30 pm

Orsanmichele: (as usual limited access) three time slots: 9:30 am / 10:40 am / 11:40 am. Max. of 30 visitors per time slot