Uffizi Diffusi: Bridging Museums and Territory in Italy

The historically close relationship between museums and their surrounding territories in Italy has weakened in recent years due to budget cuts and reforms in the protection system. While major autonomous museums have thrived as tourist attractions, the broader territory has suffered from lack of funding and personnel. The Uffizi Galleries, under former director Antonio Natali and current director Eike Schmidt, have worked to restore this dialogue. Natali promoted the 'La città degli Uffizi' exhibition cycle, bringing works from the Florentine galleries to various Tuscan locations, often integrating them with local pieces to highlight connections between museum artworks and specific geographic areas. Schmidt has sparked controversy by advocating for the return of religious artworks to churches, citing the example of Duccio's 'Madonna Rucellai'. His position echoes that of 17th-century collector Francesco Gualdi, who returned sacred pieces to Roman basilicas so they would be 'more venerable for the sanctity of the place'. Schmidt is also advancing the 'Uffizi diffusi' project, a regional dissemination of the museum aimed at bringing cultural and economic benefits to local communities and revitalizing historic monuments like the Villa Medicea dell'Ambrogiana in Montelupo Fiorentino. The project aims to create vibrant exhibition spaces with real roots in the territory, rather than mere visitable storage facilities.