Uffizi commemorates Family Covenant with free admission to Galleries and a concert

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Family Pact, made on October 31, 1737, on Thursday, October 31, 2019, all museums of the Uffizi Galleries (Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens) will have free admission.

Thanks to the Family Pact, the collections and cultural heritage of the Grand Dukes were permanently bound to the city of Florence; creator of the important document was Electrice Palatina Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici descendant, in agreement with Francesco Stefano of Lorraine, who had just been appointed Grand Duke of Tuscany.

For this anniversary, Antonio Franchi’s Portrait of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, made in about 1690, and one of Alfonso Parigi ’s etchings from Ferdinando Saracinelli’s libretto for the ballet set to music by Caccini, La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola di Alcina, from the print collection of the Uffizi Cabinet, will be on display in the Sala Bianca.

“The Family Pact was a stroke of genius that anticipated modern laws on heritage protection and territorial constraints. A document of great historical value, in whose splendid text the educational mission of art is explicitly stated in a few effective words. It is also ours and we try to fulfill it every day with many initiatives, such as this free general opening of the complex and concerts dedicated to the music that Anna Maria Luisa loved as much as she loved art,” said Uffizi Galleries Director Eike Schmidt.

Also in the White Room of the Pitti Palace, at 4:30 p.m., there will be a concert featuring cellist Naomi Berrill who will offer a portrait of the Electress Palatine through the music that accompanied her troubled life as the great patron. Anna Maria Luisa was fascinated by the great Baroque composers, such as Corelli, Scarlatti, Vivaldi and Handel, and surrounded herself with musicians and composers. Naomi Berrill will broaden the scene to include other composers of the same period, such as the Englishman Henry Purcell and the composer and soprano Barbara Strozzi. In addition, a special focus will be devoted to Francesca Caccini, the first true Florentine composer who, born eighty years before Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, played a key role in the Florentine and European music scene throughout the period of the Medici grand duchy.

Pictured is Naomi Berrill. Ph.Credit Stefano Casati

Uffizi commemorates Family Covenant with free admission to Galleries and a concert

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.