florence's treasure-packed uffizi gallery features a room of masterpieces by sandro botticelli, who, for many people, is the quintessential renaissance painter. he was one of the first of the period who dared to use ancient mythology, playing down its paganism with its innocent-looking maidens. his images stay with you. who could forget the birth of venus, as she appears fully grown, naked and newborn, standing on a clam shell, protected by the winds and her maiden-in-waiting? or the allegory of spring in pastel colors, a romantic vision of classical greece? all things in nature and legend are possible subjects. next to the botticelli room are two paintings by a young leonardo da vinci, the wunderkind himself. here we see his promise in an early painting, the annunciation, made when he was about 20. the adoration of the magi, painted 10 years later, is unfinished but packed with human feeling. for pure beauty and grace, look no further than the exquisite frescoes of raffaello sanzio, or raphael. raphael, born in urbino, italy, died at 37 years old. for his relatively short career, ra