Firenze, March 30, 2022
Dear Friends,
I had been earnestly hoping, after the difficult times of the Covid pandemic that affected people worldwide and disrupted all our habits, that we could finally put this crisis behind us; instead, in Europe we are now scared and worried about the horrors of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the terrible consequences for millions of refugees.
In spite of everything we have always continued our activities, and last October we had the great joy to welcome back a group of you who could travel from the US to attend our Seventh Florentine Weekend, and see the latest outstanding achievements we accomplished in 2021:
The completed restoration of the Terrace of the Maps Room, that lasted more than two years; it is a marvelous room with its monumental maps brought back to their 16-century brilliance, and huge windows giving a stunning view over Florence. The complex restoration phases and fascinating historical finds will be shown in a unique book shortly to be published, full of extraordinary pictures and scientific details, that will be adopted in all arts universities and cultural institutions.
The restoration of the last Valois tapestry – Barriers – which completes the whole series.
The acquisition and donation to the Galleries of three important paintings: one through the Friends of the Uffizi – Count Ugolino by Donato Mascagni, showing a very dramatic scene from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno – and two through the Amici – Liberation of Saint Peter from Prison by Leonello Spada and Sicilian Countryside on a Rainy Day by Francesco Lojacono.
Also, the exceptional restoration of the Sala di Bona in Palazzo Pitti, begun in 2019, is reaching its final stages. The frescoes, entirely covering the eight-meter-high walls, are now all restored, and the lighting and finishing touches should be completed by October. Its magnificence will make it the most important room of the whole Galleries.
Lastly, I would like to mention the prestigious Portrait of Dante fresco by Andrea del Castagno, restored by Linda Balent (Friends of the Uffizi). After the restoration this painting was the centerpiece of last year’s main exhibitions celebrating the seventh centenary of Dante’s death and is since last week part of the Uffizi itinerary, hanging in the Lippi room together with other remarkable artworks whose restoration was financed in the past by the Friends and the Amici.
I am so very grateful for all you do to preserve and improve the Uffizi Gallery’s cultural heritage, and hope we might soon be able to enjoy its beauty free from anxieties.
Maria Vittoria Colonna Rimbotti
