Based on the Alberghi Diffusi model, which involves “spreading” accommodation across a whole village rather than in one building, the ambitious plan will see the Uffizi turn Tuscany into one giant gallery.
The scheme is part of a longer term bid to combat over-tourism – before the sector recovers from the blow dealt to it by the coronavirus pandemic – by moving tourists away from the Uffizi to lesser-visited towns and villages in the surrounding region.
The first step of the project, titled Terre degli Uffizi, offers five temporary exhibitions in Tuscan towns this summer, two of which are dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri and underline the links between the region and the great poet.
The five hilltop towns and villages chosen for the prestigious Uffizi project are: San Godenzo, Anghiari, Poppi, Montespertoli and Castiglion Fiorentino.
It is the first stage of an initiative which will eventually lead to hundreds of artworks being loaned to dozens of locations.
Behind the ground-breaking idea is the Uffizi’s director, Eike Schmidt, a man known for thinking outside the box.
The Terre degli Uffizi exhibitions will run from various dates beginning in July and ending in January 2022.
For full details see the Uffizi website.
