Uffizi | Fabbriche di Storie

GENTILE DA FABRIANO | Adorazione dei Magi | Uffizi, Sala 5-6 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Zeinab Kabil, la voce di Laura Curino | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Gentile da Fabriano | Adoration of the Magi | Room 5-6  On a journey, following a star. To meet the Child, here in the foreground. In the three lunettes of the frame, we can follow the procession of the Magi. In the top left, the three wise men are gazing at the star from a mountain peak overlooking the sea. I wonder: is it possible that, in spite of their precious robes, they too felt the bewilderment and uncertainty of the journey? That, in spite of the lavish procession, they felt alone? That, once at their destination, they longed to return home? The sea breeze accompanied my journey. When I arrived in Italy, everything was new. The homesickness for my birthplace was replaced by the nostalgia for the person I was when I lived there. In the central lunette, the Magi are crossing an idyllic landscape to e

 GENTILE DA FABRIANO | Adorazione dei Magi | Uffizi, Sala 5-6 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Zeinab Kabil, la voce di Laura Curino | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Gentile da Fabriano | Adoration of the Magi | Room 5-6  On a journey, following a star. To meet the Child, here in the foreground. In the three lunettes of the frame, we can follow the procession of the Magi. In the top left, the three wise men are gazing at the star from a mountain peak overlooking the sea. I wonder: is it possible that, in spite of their precious robes, they too felt the bewilderment and uncertainty of the journey? That, in spite of the lavish procession, they felt alone? That, once at their destination, they longed to return home? The sea breeze accompanied my journey. When I arrived in Italy, everything was new. The homesickness for my birthplace was replaced by the nostalgia for the person I was when I lived there. In the central lunette, the Magi are crossing an idyllic landscape

 GENTILE DA FABRIANO | Adorazione dei Magi | Uffizi, Sala 5-6 | Lingua originale (Arabo) | La narrazione e la voce sono di Zeinab Kabil | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Gentile da Fabriano | Adoration of the Magi | Room 5-6  On a journey, following a star. To meet the Child, here in the foreground. In the three lunettes of the frame, we can follow the procession of the Magi. In the top left, the three wise men are gazing at the star from a mountain peak overlooking the sea. I wonder: is it possible that, in spite of their precious robes, they too felt the bewilderment and uncertainty of the journey? That, in spite of the lavish procession, they felt alone? That, once at their destination, they longed to return home? The sea breeze accompanied my journey. When I arrived in Italy, everything was new. The homesickness for my birthplace was replaced by the nostalgia for the person I was when I lived there. In the central lunette, the Magi are crossing an idyllic landscape to ent

BEATO ANGELICO (attr.) | Tebaide | Uffizi, Sala 7 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Mohammad Aletaha, la voce di Marco Paolini | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Fra Angelico (attr.) | Thebaid | Room 7  In this painting, no one is alone. This is what struck me when I first approached the Thebaid: it should be a wasteland (the desert near Thebes, Egypt), yet it is a garden; it should be a place of solitude, yet it is filled with relationships. As Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, wrote, the desert had become “a city”. Mashhad is the name of an Iranian holy city; here, an imposing mausoleum was built in the name of the Imam Reza. A once small village was transformed into the most important destination for pilgrims in my country, and a sanctuary built around the mausoleum, creating a city within the city. The heart of the sanctuary is always full of people, even late at night. Many stories can be heard here. Relationships are formed, even among strangers. But when the people

BEATO ANGELICO (attr.) | Tebaide | Uffizi, Sala 7 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Mohammad Aletaha, la voce di Marco Paolini | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Fra Angelico (attr.) | Thebaid | Room 7  In this painting, no one is alone. This is what struck me when I first approached the Thebaid: it should be a wasteland (the desert near Thebes, Egypt), yet it is a garden; it should be a place of solitude, yet it is filled with relationships. As Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, wrote, the desert had become “a city”. Mashhad is the name of an Iranian holy city; here, an imposing mausoleum was built in the name of the Imam Reza. A once small village was transformed into the most important destination for pilgrims in my country, and a sanctuary built around the mausoleum, creating a city within the city. The heart of the sanctuary is always full of people, even late at night. Many stories can be heard here. Relationships are formed, even among strangers. But when the people p

BEATO ANGELICO (attr.) | Tebaide | Uffizi, Sala 7 | Lingua originale (Farsi) |  La narrazione e la voce sono di Mohammad Aletaha | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Fra Angelico (attr.) | Thebaid | Room 7  In this painting, no one is alone. This is what struck me when I first approached the Thebaid: it should be a wasteland (the desert near Thebes, Egypt), yet it is a garden; it should be a place of solitude, yet it is filled with relationships. As Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, wrote, the desert had become “a city”. Mashhad is the name of an Iranian holy city; here, an imposing mausoleum was built in the name of the Imam Reza. A once small village was transformed into the most important destination for pilgrims in my country, and a sanctuary built around the mausoleum, creating a city within the city. The heart of the sanctuary is always full of people, even late at night. Many stories can be heard here. Relationships are formed, even among strangers. But when the people pr

MASACCIO E MASOLINO | Sant'Anna Metterza | Uffizi, Sala 7 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Silvia Barlacchi, la voce di Paola Roscioli | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Masaccio and Masolino | Virgin and Child with St. Anne | Room 7  A hand on a shoulder brings comfort, however small, slender and apparently fragile. This dual portrait of motherhood is all inside a vertical line: affection, protection, solidarity, trust, courage, from one to the other, through to the Child on his mother’s lap. This however, is not conveyed in words, but in gestures and presence. Now, in this room there is a mother holding her child, with another woman to protect and guide her. A look that follows affectionately, and one I know well. I am the mother of two girls but, before that, I was a daughter. Between my mother and myself, the same daily acts of care, but which were and said much more. My mother, behind me, speaking to me as she combed my hair: advice, deep and simple thoughts about t

MASACCIO E MASOLINO | Sant'Anna Metterza | Uffizi, Sala 7 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Silvia Barlacchi, la voce di Paola Roscioli | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Masaccio and Masolino | Virgin and Child with St. Anne | Room 7  A hand on a shoulder brings comfort, however small, slender and apparently fragile. This dual portrait of motherhood is all inside a vertical line: affection, protection, solidarity, trust, courage, from one to the other, through to the Child on his mother’s lap. This however, is not conveyed in words, but in gestures and presence. Now, in this room there is a mother holding her child, with another woman to protect and guide her. A look that follows affectionately, and one I know well. I am the mother of two girls but, before that, I was a daughter. Between my mother and myself, the same daily acts of care, but which were and said much more. My mother, behind me, speaking to me as she combed my hair: advice, deep and simple thoughts about thi

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Annunciazione | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Diana Kong, la voce di Lucilla Giagnoni | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Sandro Botticelli | Annunciation (detached fresco)| Room 10-14  This fresco was painted for the Church of San Martino at the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala in Florence, where abandoned children were taken in. Right away I think: this is why Mary's arms are empty and she wears a frown. I don't think that in this world there exists a mother who truly wants to leave her child! For sure, there must be an unspeakable reason to do so. From 1478 to 1479, Florence was struck by a terrible plague; many of the victims were buried in the monastery attached to the church. In 1481, Botticelli was paid for the creation of an Annunciation, probably a votive offering to the Virgin Mary for the end of the epidemic. The background filled with a quiet and beautiful nature could comfort people. The angel could bring them good

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Annunciazione | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Lingua originale (Cinese Mandarino) |  La narrazione e la voce sono di Diana Kong | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | Annunciation (detached fresco)| Room 10-14  This fresco was painted for the Church of San Martino at the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala in Florence, where abandoned children were taken in. Right away I think: this is why Mary's arms are empty and she wears a frown. I don't think that in this world there exists a mother who truly wants to leave her child! For sure, there must be an unspeakable reason to do so. From 1478 to 1479, Florence was struck by a terrible plague; many of the victims were buried in the monastery attached to the church. In 1481, Botticelli was paid for the creation of an Annunciation, probably a votive offering to the Virgin Mary for the end of the epidemic. The background filled with a quiet and beautiful nature could comfort people. The angel could bring them

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Annunciazione di Cestello e Cristo in Pietà | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Fabiana Bianchini, la voce di Maria Paiato | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Sandro Botticelli | The Cestello Annunciation and Pietà | Room 10-14  The hands are suspended in space, as if waiting. The angel has just arrived. A puff of wind passes through his light veil. Like conception, like life: a gasp, a breath. He kneels, a hand outstretched towards Mary to reassure her. Distracted from her reading, the Virgin almost turns upon herself; her gaze is turned inwards, as if listening to the heartbeat. One hand says “wait”, the other is level with her heart. It takes time to take in a piece of news. The announcement changes the Virgin: life changes with a child. The life growing inside you brings immense emotions with it. You are no longer alone; there’s someone living in your womb, the perfect home. When I was expecting my daughter, she lived perfectly in

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Annunciazione di Cestello e Cristo in Pietà | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Fabiana Bianchini, la voce di Maria Paiato | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | The Cestello Annunciation and Pietà | Room 10-14  The hands are suspended in space, as if waiting. The angel has just arrived. A puff of wind passes through his light veil. Like conception, like life: a gasp, a breath. He kneels, a hand outstretched towards Mary to reassure her. Distracted from her reading, the Virgin almost turns upon herself; her gaze is turned inwards, as if listening to the heartbeat. One hand says “wait”, the other is level with her heart. It takes time to take in a piece of news. The announcement changes the Virgin: life changes with a child. The life growing inside you brings immense emotions with it. You are no longer alone; there’s someone living in your womb, the perfect home. When I was expecting my daughter, she lived perfectly insi

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Primavera | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Kuassi Sessou, la voce di Marco Baliani | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Sandro Botticelli | Spring | Room 10-14  This garden is like paradise. An earthly paradise where everything had meaning, before the arrival of man. I tried to imagine this meadow empty. The variety of flowers is immense. Everything is perfect, unspoiled. Every detail contributes to the whole. In my eyes, all this takes on an extraordinary affinity with African spirituality: at its center is Nature as a divinity that may be found in the trees, the river, the sun, the wind. That same wind that here, in the Spring by Botticelli, puffs out the clothes, fertilizes the plants, a breath of life that permeates everything. The Spring is a masterpiece of profane art, yet I find it has a strong religious dimension. I start to move across the meadow. The slender trunks of the orange trees slowly become more imposing as I enter

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Primavera | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Kuassi Sessou, la voce di Marco Baliani| Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | Spring | Room 10-14  This garden is like paradise. An earthly paradise where everything had meaning, before the arrival of man. I tried to imagine this meadow empty. The variety of flowers is immense. Everything is perfect, unspoiled. Every detail contributes to the whole. In my eyes, all this takes on an extraordinary affinity with African spirituality: at its center is Nature as a divinity that may be found in the trees, the river, the sun, the wind. That same wind that here, in the Spring by Botticelli, puffs out the clothes, fertilizes the plants, a breath of life that permeates everything. The Spring is a masterpiece of profane art, yet I find it has a strong religious dimension. I start to move across the meadow. The slender trunks of the orange trees slowly become more imposing as I enter, c

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Primavera | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Lingua originale (Francese) |  La narrazione e la voce sono di Kuassi Sessou | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | Spring | Room 10-14  This garden is like paradise. An earthly paradise where everything had meaning, before the arrival of man. I tried to imagine this meadow empty. The variety of flowers is immense. Everything is perfect, unspoiled. Every detail contributes to the whole. In my eyes, all this takes on an extraordinary affinity with African spirituality: at its center is Nature as a divinity that may be found in the trees, the river, the sun, the wind. That same wind that here, in the Spring by Botticelli, puffs out the clothes, fertilizes the plants, a breath of life that permeates everything. The Spring is a masterpiece of profane art, yet I find it has a strong religious dimension. I start to move across the meadow. The slender trunks of the orange trees slowly become more imposing as I enter

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Pallade e il Centauro | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Sofia Kossiwa Sessou, la voce di Lella Costa | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Sandro Botticelli | Pallas and the Centaur | Room 10-14  My feet were swinging over the emptiness from the peak where I was sitting, when I heard a rumble from the other side of the hill. The noise became ever more intense when, out of a cloud of dust, I saw the disconnected gallop of a Centaur. He began to skirt the stone wall, but finding no way out, he stopped. The striking of his hooves marked the passage of time towards something inexorable. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, forcing me to do the same. Then I saw her, moving forward slowly, like a cat about to pounce. The wind was creating small silky whirlpools on her clothes. But it was her eyes, pale grey and magnetic, that conveyed her true fascination. Just a few steps from the Centaur, she extended her fingers towards his head, but h

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Pallade e il Centauro | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Sofia Kossiwa Sessou, la voce di Lella Costa | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | Pallas and the Centaur | Room 10-14  My feet were swinging over the emptiness from the peak where I was sitting, when I heard a rumble from the other side of the hill. The noise became ever more intense when, out of a cloud of dust, I saw the disconnected gallop of a Centaur. He began to skirt the stone wall, but finding no way out, he stopped. The striking of his hooves marked the passage of time towards something inexorable. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, forcing me to do the same. Then I saw her, moving forward slowly, like a cat about to pounce. The wind was creating small silky whirlpools on her clothes. But it was her eyes, pale grey and magnetic, that conveyed her true fascination. Just a few steps from the Centaur, she extended her fingers towards his head, but he

SANDRO BOTTICELLI | Pallade e il Centauro | Uffizi, Sala 10-14 | Lingua originale (Francese) |  La narrazione e la voce sono di Sofia Kossiwa Sessou | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Sandro Botticelli | Pallas and the Centaur | Room 10-14  My feet were swinging over the emptiness from the peak where I was sitting, when I heard a rumble from the other side of the hill. The noise became ever more intense when, out of a cloud of dust, I saw the disconnected gallop of a Centaur. He began to skirt the stone wall, but finding no way out, he stopped. The striking of his hooves marked the passage of time towards something inexorable. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, forcing me to do the same. Then I saw her, moving forward slowly, like a cat about to pounce. The wind was creating small silky whirlpools on her clothes. But it was her eyes, pale grey and magnetic, that conveyed her true fascination. Just a few steps from the Centaur, she extended her fingers towards his head, but

GIOVANNI BELLINI | Allegoria sacra | Uffizi, Sala 20 | Versione breve | La narrazione è di Samira Lahhane, la voce di Micaela Casalboni | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it    Giovanni Bellini | Holy Allegory | Room 20 Silence. I close my eyes, drag my feet over a smooth, cold surface. A floor in the finest marble takes me back to a distant past, when I was a child. I open my eyes and I am not alone: women, children, young and old men, crowd onto a large terrace overlooking a lake. It seems like a meeting, but it is not. There are prayers, but people are not looking at each other. The terrace is fenced, but with an opening leading down to the lake. The doors to my house were always open too. My father was a generous person. He used to say that those who needed help were to feel welcome. The Holy Allegory by Giovanni Bellini is one of the most mysterious works in art history. When it was painted, at the end of the 15th century, profane allegories were widespread, but not holy ones. Like

GIOVANNI BELLINI | Allegoria sacra | Uffizi, Sala 20 | Versione integrale | La narrazione è di Samira Lahhane, la voce di Micaela Casalboni | Leggi la scheda completa dell'opera su uffizi.it   Giovanni Bellini | Holy Allegory | Room 20 Silence. I close my eyes, drag my feet over a smooth, cold surface. A floor in the finest marble takes me back to a distant past, when I was a child. I open my eyes and I am not alone: women, children, young and old men, crowd onto a large terrace overlooking a lake. It seems like a meeting, but it is not. There are prayers, but people are not looking at each other. The terrace is fenced, but with an opening leading down to the lake. The doors to my house were always open too. My father was a generous person. He used to say that those who needed help were to feel welcome. The Holy Allegory by Giovanni Bellini is one of the most mysterious works in art history. When it was painted, at the end of the 15th century, profane allegories were widespread, but not holy ones. Like t