What are they doing to the Uffizi?!

This is astonishing -- and to think there was such a flap over cleaning Michelangelo's David!

Giant cranes move into place tomorrow at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence to begin work on a €30 million (£20 million) plan to increase exhibition space at one of the world’s foremost treasure houses of art. . .

The roof is to be replaced by a glass superstructure, allowing daylight into overcrowded and badly lit exhibition rooms.

The project involves new lifts, stairs, cafeterias, visitor centres and lavatories. Conservationists say that the works will mean the demolition not only of “Dante’s church” but also of a vault by Giorgio Vasari, who designed the Uffizi for the Medici dynasty, as well as potentially risky excavations beneath the building. . .

Riccardo Francovich, Professor of Medieval Archeology at the University of Siena, a consultant to the project, said that concerns over “these sacrosanct stones” had been brushed aside. He said that the foundations of the Uffizi and the San Pier Scheraggio church formed the most important archeological site in Florence, containing precious evidence of the city’s origins in the fifth century. . .

Annamaria Petrioli Tofani, the former director, said that Florentines should “mobilise themselves and wake up to how a major monument is being altered”.

UPDATE: I can't find any other English-language articles on the New Uffizi project, and the Italian news sources don't seem to include much in the way of criticism. This article would seem to contradict the Times' claims about San Pier Scheraggio:

Ad assicurare la tutela delle strutture interessate dai lavori, la sovrintendenza archeologica della Toscana. Secondo Carlotta Cianferoni, funzionario archeologo della sovrintendenza, nessun pericolo per la Chiesa di san Scheraggio. ''Lo scavo che interessa San Scheraggio e' gia' stato intrapreso e ultimato - ha dichiarato la Gianferoni - la chiesa sara' inserita nel percorso archeologico nella nuova galleria degli Uffizi e la sovrintendenza si ritiene soddisfatta del lavoro svolto, anche se continuera' a vigilare affinche' i lavori, anche in superficie, procedano nel pieno rispetto delle strutture esistenti. Comunque - ha sottolineato il funzionario archeologo - il progetto e' gia' stato ampiamente discusso e tutto quello che riguarda il versante archeologico e' gia' stato fatto''.

Nessuno, insomma, tocchera' le pietre di San Scheraggio che saranno inserite nel percorso della nuova galleria degli Uffizi.

Posted by David on January 18, 2007 1:48 PM