Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze to Restore Its Facade

The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, home to Michelangelo's David, is launching a new restoration project focused on its exterior facade. This follows the completion of extensive interior renovations that began in 2019 under director Cecilie Hollberg, who has been in charge since 2015. The interior work cost approximately 4 million euros and included a complete reinstallation of the permanent collection, upgrades to lighting and ventilation systems, and the opening of new exhibition spaces: a room dedicated to the 15th century, reopened halls for the 13th and 14th centuries, the Sala del Colosso, and the Gipsoteca—a monumental hall recreating the studio of 19th-century sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini. The facade restoration will cover about 85 meters of the building on via Ricasoli, which is shared with adjacent institutions: the Accademia di Belle Arti and the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini. Scaffolding will be erected on September 4 in Piazza delle Belle Arti, with the museum remaining open but using wider scaffolding to accommodate visitors. The work involves structural checks, reconstruction of deteriorated parts, and repainting. Hollberg stated that after focusing on the interior, it is time to address the exterior, which serves as the museum's calling card. The project is expected to take about six months and aims to enhance the entire architectural complex and the historic center.