In 2006 and 2007 two cranes were brought to the historic center of Florence for work on the modernization of the Uffizi Galleries, the most important museum in the city. They have been there ever since: their presence has become the subject of recurring controversy, as some citizens believe that they have effectively changed the panorama of Florence, ruining the view of the most attractive and well-known area of the city, between Palazzo Vecchio and the Arno river .
He wrote about it recently Corriere Fiorentino regarding one of the two cranes, the one in via dei Castellani (the other is right in front of the Uffizi), in the so-called western wing. In fact, while the other is still in operation, this one has been closed since 2011: it was used to build the so-called Scala dei Lanzi, designed by the architect Adolfo Natalini, which connects the ground floor of the Uffizi to the new rooms on the first floor. The journalist of Courier Chiara Dini asked the director of the works, Chiara Tettamanti, how much the rental of these cranes costs: «Nothing, it is a logistical solution proposed by the company and agreed by the bodies in charge at the time the construction site was installed, therefore at full expense of the company,” she replied.
Work on the modernization of the Uffizi began in 1995 with the appointment of a special commission, but the final project was presented only in 2004: it envisages «doubling the exhibition capacity» of the museum, going «from 5,400 to 12,000 square meters of surface, being able to go from 4,000 to 8,000 visitors daily”. Construction began in 2006, but was temporarily blocked in 2009 to adapt the project to anti-seismic regulations.
Speaking about how cranes have become part of the urban scenography of the city, in 2018 the journalist from Corriere Fiorentino Alessio Gaggioli wrote that postcards of Florence now include not only “Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s bell tower, Arnolfo’s Tower, the Bargello and the Synagogue”, but also “the two enormous metal giraffes of the Uffizi”. A few years ago an Instagram page was also created, @gruinflorence, which jokes about the visual effect generated by the presence of cranes in the historic center of Florence.
The need to remove the cranes from the historic center has also become one of the themes of the electoral campaign for the next local elections, which will be held on 8 and 9 June. In recent months the right-wing candidate, the former director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt, has used it on several occasions to criticize the current administration of the city, led by Dario Nardella. In an interview given to Republic in December, shortly before the official announcement of his candidacy, Schmidt said that «the absurd thing is that the mayor [Nardella] realize now, after 15 years [in realtà sono 18, ndr]that there are two cranes in front of his office.”
