posted by Lourdes Flores on News

Thanks to the Amici degli Uffizi who funded the project, the entire two top floors that constitute the museum’s main halls now offers visitors access to free Wi-Fi. Visitors will be able to check email and visit select websites from their own smart phones or tablets, but the main reason for the new network is to give these users the possibility to access the new webAPP Visitor’s Guide to the Uffizi Gallery while you’re inside the museum.

The new network has been active since July 7th, 2015 and allows up to 500 connected users at any time. This transforms the Uffizi Gallery into the first museum in Italy to offer visitors this step to today’s modern world where most everyone travels with a technological gadget to keep updated.

The network brings the 430 year old museum into the present, but looks toward the future. By being connected, the museum can plan future exhibits and displays with the use of high-definition video, 3D reconstructions, virtual reality and augmented reality.

At the same time, visitors will have access to the new Visitors Guide (as soon as you open a browser you will be directed to this site), where you can find all of the information you need to make the best use of your time and your visit to the museum. News, information on current exhibits within the Uffizi, maps and itineraries as well as detailed information on the works of art in each of the halls you visit. It also has a section that outlines the New Uffizi Project which is modernizing the museum while keeping it open to the world. The guide at the moment is in English and Italian, with more languages to be added soon.

For now, this is available to those who enter the museum with their own phones and tablets, but the museum is looking forward to being able to offer the rental of these devices for those who need them.

We hope you’ll soon be enjoying your visit to the Uffizi Gallery even more!