The countdown begins for the dismantling of the Uffizi crane: it will be an intervention of only six days and then finally the maxi crane of the Uffizi expansion construction site, which for almost twenty years has been occupying the square in front of the museum, disfiguring the skyline of Florence, will be no more.
The work will start on June 16 and will end on June 21; and for the occasion, on the same day, on the museum terrace above the Loggia dei Lanzi, a symbolic event will be held, in the presence of Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, to celebrate the removal in front of the view of the city center finally free of the “metal monster.”
In the following days, the setting up of the new light construction site, centered on the use of a non-impacting freight elevator, will begin to move forward quickly, but without disturbing the city’s aesthetics, with the work to complete the Nuovi Uffizi. The construction of the replacement site was made possible thanks to funding of 180 thousand euros, made available promptly by many entrepreneurs including Stefano Ricci, Leonardo Bassilichi, Giorgio Moretti, Stefano Gabbrielli, Elisabetta Fabri, Marco Carrai, Confindustria, Enic, and Fondazione Cr Firenze.
In order to get to the disassembly of the crane, the museum worked side by side with the person responsible for the Nuovi Uffizi, Valerio Tesi, for a year on the complete reorganization of the construction site to ensure the supply of all the necessary materials in the shortest possible time.
More than 60 meters high and visible from many kilometers away from the city, the giant crane appeared in 2006 to carry out the main loading, unloading and moving of materials as part of the major project to double the Gallery’s exhibition spaces, which has not yet been completed. In nearly two decades, there have been numerous controversies over the issue of the serious aesthetic damage caused by the mechanical behemoth. Various attempts have been made over time to try to remove it, but without success.
“This is a moment that Florence has been waiting for for a long time,” said Uffizi Galleries director Simone Verde. “With the metal monster out of the way, the face of Florence is back intact and inviolate in all its blazing beauty, after almost twenty years. This operation confirms that good stewardship can triumph in spite of everything; and it testifies that the Uffizi Galleries have the capacity and characteristics to be both a model of global cultural efficiency and a true flag for Italy in the world.”
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| At last, the Uffizi's giant crane's days are numbered: dismantling kicks off, June 16-21 |
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