Uffizi, priorities for the future: opening Vasari Corridor, children's museum and away with the crane

The Uffizi, an icon of Italy’s cultural heritage, is preparing to reaffirm its centrality, for both the public and scholars, with a program aimed at consolidating the museum’s role and which was presented this morning to the foreign press by director Simone Verde.

The first major goal is the creation of a center dedicated to Museum Studies, which will feature leading international scholars. This center will be built at the Casino del Cavaliere, inside the Boboli Gardens.

Another crucial point is the recomposition of the historical heritage with new sections dedicated to the history of the collections. At the Uffizi, on the ground floor, and at the Pitti Palace, in the Sala Bianca, these sections will be set up, along with open deposits of furniture and tapestries also at Pitti and a section devoted to the history of the Boboli Gardens. Major rearrangements will include the Medici treasure rooms at Pitti and the reconstruction of the Ricetto Hall of Inscriptions at the Uffizi. In addition, the rooms of the Flemish painters at the Uffizi will reopen on July 31 in the presence of the Minister of Culture.

Also scheduled for July 16 is the opening of the Fashion Museum at the Pitti Palace, part of a major project that aims to gain international media resonance. Targeted, high-quality acquisitions and the complete refurbishment of the Uffizi’s second floor, already underway, are other key components of this ambitious plan.

There will also be a children’s museum, the creation of which has been called crucial by Director Verde. This project, funded by Friends of Florence, will be located on the ground floor of the Uffizi and will include new display cases, modern spacers, seating and lighting fixtures in the Pitti Palace.

Still, the redevelopment of the Boboli Gardens is another key objective, with plans to keep it open on Mondays as well. The redevelopment includes the Limonaia Medicea and the use of 600,000 euros from Gucci’s 2019 donation to plant thousands of trees and increase the garden’s greenery.

Among the urgent interventions, the removal of the crane in the forecourt was listed by the Green director as a top priority. Working hard with the legal department and through sponsorship proposals, a solution is expected in a reasonable timeframe.

Finally, the Vasari Corridor will open fully by the end of the year, with the first section accessible as early as late fall. Installation is underway, with the collaboration of the scientific team.

Green finally answered reporters’ questions. On continuity from the previous director, there will be, Verde said, “total administrative continuity, the only discontinuity is that my predecessor’s name was Eike Schmidt and my name is Simone Verde.” On queues: “The queues are no longer so long, they have been cut down in part by abolishing the paper ticket, a move that has streamlined access. The strategy against overcrowding is twofold: increase opening hours, and we are doing this with evening openings, and then dilute the flow by ’diverting’ it to Palazzo Pitti; the Uffizi forecourt is not in optimal condition, there are too many construction sites, so the ticket office will be moved to the back; we have commissioned architects Gucciardini and Magni, there will be a monumental entrance that will allow us to welcome properly those who enter this beautiful museum.”

As for the relationship with the municipality, Verde said he congratulated the newly elected mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro: “we will see each other soon, we will also have to collaborate on the post-dismantling of the crane in the square.” On the issue of blitzes by environmentalists: “They target museums for their importance in order to instrumentalize their visibility. We have to be the most inclusive and aware museum ever, but we cannot make ourselves instruments of mere visibility for heterogeneous purposes.” Finally, on the issue ofexpanding the Uffizi venues, " Excellent initiative, the Minister of Culture has asked to extend Uffizi on the territory to the Medici Villas of Careggi and Montelupo Fiorentino. We will further focus that right project of relationship with the territory on these two venues."

Uffizi, priorities for the future: opening Vasari Corridor, children's museum and away with the crane

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