After a 10-day closure, the exhibition “Florence and Europe. The Arts of the Eighteenth Century at the Uffizi” has reopened with enhanced safety measures. The temporary closure followed an incident on June 21, when a visitor accidentally fell into a painting while posing for a photo, causing damage to the canvas.
The work in question—a portrait of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici by Anton Domenico Gabbiani—was immediately removed for restoration. Museum officials say the restoration is now in its final stages, and the painting is expected to return to the exhibition in the coming days. In the meantime, it has been replaced by another portrait of the Grand Prince, this one by Nicoletto (Nicolò Cassana).
As part of the new safety protocols, higher barriers have been installed in the exhibition hall. Warning signs in both Italian and English now ask visitors not to lean on the railings. These changes are a prelude to further measures against unsafe selfie-taking, which the Uffizi’s director Simone Verde announced shortly after the incident.
The June 21 accident made headlines and sparked widespread discussion about museum etiquette and the risks of photography in cultural spaces.
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