The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, one of the oldest and most famous museums in the world, was founded in 1560 by Cosimo I de' Medici as the administrative offices (the "uffizi") designed by Giorgio Vasari.Transformed in 1581 by Francesco I into a private art gallery to display the Medici collections. Francesco I de' Medici decorated the first floor with works of art, creating the "Tribuna" with the help of Bernardo Buontalenti, an octagonal space for treasures and masterpieces.
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the last descendant of the family, signed the famous "Family Pact", donating the Medici collections to the Tuscan State, obliging them to remain in Florence.
Opening to the Public (1769): Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine officially opens the Gallery as a modern museum, reorganizing the collections with educational criteria.
Today the Uffizi Gallery houses the most important collection of Renaissance painting in the world, with masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio.