The Scalone Lorenese of the Uffizi Gallery reopens

After eight years of closure, the Lorraine Staircase, designed by architect Zanobi Del Rosso during the reign of Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo di Lorena, has reopened to the public, restoring the historic entrance to the Uffizi Gallery’s exhibition route as it appeared in the 18th century.

Although the monumental marble staircase had previously undergone restoration between 2005 and 2007 – including repairs to plaster and stucco – more extensive structural work began in 2018. During that phase, the wooden supports beneath the steps required consolidation, leading to a year of major intervention.

At the top of the staircase, visitors encounter a series of busts depicting the Medici rulers, from Cosimo I de’ Medici to Gian Gastone de’ Medici. Overlooking the marble stairway is a large polychrome wooden coat of arms created by Baccio d’Agnolo. The walls have been repainted in the distinctive “Lorraine green,” a colour identified through stratigraphic analysis as the shade favored by the Lorraine dynasty. The same hue appears in other grand ducal residences, including Villa del Poggio Imperiale and the Palazzina della Specola.

“Following the reopening of the Vasari Corridor and the dismantling of the crane that had been spoiling piazzale degli Uffizi for two decades, the Galleries are finally concluding another historic project that has been ongoing for eight years: the Scalone Lorenese,”

commented Simone Verde, Director of the Uffizi Galleries.

“We are reopening it to the public, redisplaying all the antiquities it has contained since the 18th century. This staircase, designed by Zanobi del Rosso, the court architect of the House of Lorraine, is a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture and has always represented the monumental entrance to the most beautiful galleries in the world.”