Special Tours Invite Children to the Uffizi in Florence

Art museums, especially ones as large as the Uffizi and ones concentrating on works of Renaissance artists, are not usually places families traveling with young children would choose to visit. But this premier collection of paintings and sculptures now reaches out to young visitors with downloadable tours that appeal to their interests.

One of these, Monsters in Art, includes pictures and maps, creating a treasure hunt for the many fantastic creatures hidden in its collections. Children and their parents will discover griffins, ogres, sea serpents, dragons and other mythical beasts in the art works and even in carved ornaments in the building itself. Along with finding these, kids learn the stories and myths behind them.

A second tour, Flowers at the Uffizi, highlights flowers used in art throughout the ages, not only for the beauty they lend a work of art, but also as symbols with meanings commonly understood in the past.

The tour leads visitors to some of the most important masterpieces in the museum’s collections and encourages young visitors to discover more on their own. This motivates children to look more closely at the paintings, engaging them in the works.

The tour includes information on the techniques and materials used in painting and frescoes. The flower tour is also bilingual, encouraging children to learn a bit of Italian as they see the two languages side by side.