The gallery was already open by appointment in the 16th century, opened to the public in 1765, and became an official museum in 1865.

It was Anna Maria Luisa de'Medici, as the last direct descendant of the immensely rich and powerful Medici family, who bequeathed (by the 'Patto di famiglia) its unique art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, the Medici villas and her Palatine inheritance, to the Tuscan state.

For more detailed informations, see website