by Redazione 29/08/2025

Not just controversy: also irony and sarcasm from Florentines and non-Florentines on the matter of the black cube that has sprung up in the place of the former Teatro Comunale in Florence. Here are the 10 best memes on the subject.

These days in Florence it is all anyone is talking about: the construction that has sprung up in the place of the former Municipal Theater has raised a storm in the city, and not only because of the appearance of the new building under construction, already ironically dubbed “the black cube” because of its not exactly discreet profile that towers above the nineteenth-century buildings that line the Vespucci riverfront. The intervention is still nearing completion, but its bold lines are already clearly visible and have provoked mixed reactions(here Federico Giannini’s editorial on the subject), although most of the interventions plump for the critical chorus that denounces a visual and symbolic impact too strong for the surrounding urban context.

But as is often the case in our time, even before official statements and expert analysis, it was social media that gave voice to popular sentiment. And they did so with the network’s sharpest and most immediate tool: the meme. In just a few days, satirical images depicting the “black cube” in surreal, paradoxical or overtly ironic versions multiplied, turning an architectural topic into a social phenomenon. Beyond the laughter, it remains a sign of a city that observes, reacts, and participates. Memes are not just a digital game: they are the thermometer of a public opinion that wants to have its say on the face Florence is taking on. At a time when urban transformation seems unstoppable, the case of the “black cube” shows how the relationship between ancient and modern is still a delicate terrain, and how beauty, in a city like Florence, remains as much an objective as an emotional issue.

In this article, we have collected the ten most shared, brilliant or provocative memes that have arisen around the new building that has sprung up in place of the former Municipal Theater, to recount the debate also through the light-hearted, yet meaningful, gaze of collective humor.

For the satirical page Mo(n)stre, Florence's cube is already an... in-cube — For the satirical page Mo(n)stre, the Florence Cube is already an... in-cube

Still from Mo(n)stre, a great classic of cultural rhetoric: the dialogue between ancient and contemporary

And, to conclude the trifecta of Mo(n)stre, the. Stormy relationship between Florence and the Renaissance. — And, to conclude Mo(n)stre’s trifecta, the... Stormy relationship between Florence and the Renaissance.

Another famous satirical page, Arte a modino, offers a mashup with another impactful work that has stirred a thousand controversies: Gaetano Pesce's Pulcinella — Another famous satirical page, Arte a modino, offers a mashup with another impactful work that has stirred a thousand controversies: Gaetano Pesce’s Pulcinella

Host Life account sarcasm: cameras on only when a keybox needs to be removed

Movie quote for Florence TV to comment on superintendent Pessina's words — Movie quote for Florence TV to comment on Superintendent Pessina’s words

Comic cartoon by OK Florence reminding what was there before instead of the black cube — Cartoonish cartoon by OK Florence reminding what used to be there instead of the black cube

What the cube looks like according to The Florence I'd Like: a safe — What the cube looks like according to The Florence I’d Like: a safe

Still La Firenze che vorrei launches petition: black and white in Florence just can't be seen... — Still La Firenze che vorrei launches a petition: black and white in Florence just can’t be seen...

So much so that there are those who propose the ultimate solution: Emanuele Pisano proposes to dye it purple and never mention it again...

Florence's black cube: the 10 funniest memes

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