Uffizi to Reorganize Galleries, Close Vasari Corridor for Renovations

Eike Schmidt, director of the Gallerie degli Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti, announced a major reorganization of the Uffizi galleries. By autumn 2017, the second floor will house masterpieces by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli in contiguous rooms, based on visitor flow analysis. A dedicated ticket and independent route may allow exclusive visits to these masters. The Vasari Corridor will close by end of November 2016 for renovations, aiming for unrestricted access from 2018; guided tours will likely end. A new 800-square-meter temporary exhibition space is being built on the ground floor, with independent entrance to reduce queues. It will open with a retrospective of Plautilla Nelli, a 16th-century Florentine nun and artist, launching a series on female artists. Fashion shows will be moved to Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens. Two loan lists are being defined: "immovable" masterpieces stay in Florence; "almost immovable" ones may be lent only for strong scientific reasons.