Italy being one of the top travel destinations in the world, the country is definitely suffering from overtourism especially with the Uffizi Gallery.
With 12,000 visitors per day during peak hours, travelers from all over the world desecrate the artistic legacy in Italy. From a selfie in front of Botticelli’s Venus to close-ups of David’s manhood, it would not be a pretty sight. Although it is the place you have to visit once in a lifetime. But the experience would be stressful enough that you might decide to take a rain check.
Therefore, the Uffizi director wants to change things by reducing visitor concentration on Florence. With the Uffizi Diffusi (Scattered Uffizi) artworks will be shown in the surrounding area of Tuscany turning the region into a big “scattered” museum.
Uffizi director Eike Schmidt told CNN Travel that the idea had come to him during 2020’s lockdown.
“Art can’t survive on big galleries alone,” he added. “The Uffizi is not an isolated museum in the middle of nowhere, but is the culmination of a landscape full of marvel and art and natural beauty.”
Although details are still under wraps, Schmidt is planning 60-100 exhibition places across Tuscany with historical buildings all over. As Florence braces for the return of mass tourism, Schmidt wants to take the focus off Florence, and help disperse the crowds.
It will also help create new jobs and improve the economy. He also wishes Tuscans closer to their heritage as the current system is too biased on overseas tourism.
This project will bring to 3000 artworks that nobody can see due to overcrowding to a “calmer, more intimate setting”.
Source: CNN