Schmidt said that visitor numbers have returned to the bustling pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and that though job offers are on the rise, "the staff is continuing diminish in numbers".
He warned: "without a solution we're all going to close, even the biggest ones". Schmidt said that the incoming government - which is expected to be led by the far right - must "address and immediately resolve the staffing problems of museums and other places of culture" in Italy.
Climate protestors belonging to the 'Ultima Generazione' group. (Photo: ANSA).
The staff of the Uffizi in particular have faced a challenging few months, enduring complications such as climate protestors belonging to the 'Ultima Generazione' group glueing themselves to the glass that protects Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, which sparked a global media uproar.
"Whoever is in power after September 25 will have to think about this", he said, further underlining that these problems with acquiring and keeping staff have remained an issue even after the recent museum reform of Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
