Interview: Italy's empty museums
Julia Buckley chats about her Uffizi scoop and being alone with Botticelli’s Venus.
maxwell museums magazine - 17 March 2021
Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the closure of museums and galleries across the UK because of the growing fears over the coronavirus pandemic. My memories of that day is that it was surreal - no-one knew what the future was going to hold or how long it was going to last. Here’s BBC News’ report on the sudden closures of that day. What a 12 months its been.
I’m so excited for this week’s interview. We’ve all been dreaming of holidays, but reading about travel is the closest we’re going to get (for now). Julia Buckley is a brilliant travel writer based in Italy who has been writing this month about her bizarre recent trip to Florence’s empty museums. She even got a major international scoop for CNN on the Uffizi’s innovative plan to expand across the whole region of Tuscany. So of course I needed to speak to her to find out more! Read on and enjoy. Grazie.
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barometer
What’s heating up and cooling down in the world of museums this week.
going up ⬆️
Culture-lovers in the City of Angels can rejoice, as Los Angeles’ museums have been given the green light to reopen. They’ve experienced one of the longest closures anywhere in the world during the pandemic, and have never reopened since shuttering in March last year. Thankfully, that now changes, although they’ll need to operate at 25% capacity.
going down ⬇️
The art world moves fast these days. Three weeks ago, it seems like no one had ever heard of NFTs (non-fungible tokens, used to authenticate digital artworks). Now, they’re everywhere. They’ve even turned a Wisconsin computer-science graduate into the world’s third-most-expensive artist. But already the buzz is well and truly wearing off as reports of fakes, thieves and scammers are flooding in. Or as one artist put it: "Art theft has never been this aggressive and rampant." Well done everyone.
what’s on
Here’s three brand new and exciting things from the world of museums.
Era of Reclamation Beyond 'Bridgerton' at the British Museum (online) - after the huge success of the Netflix series, explore the real stories of Africans and people of African descent in Regency-era Britain in this online event, featuring Bonnie Greer and more. 26 March
Bruce Nauman Presence/Absence at White Cube Hong Kong - widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary artists, this new exhibition of video works is the first Nauman show in Hong Kong. Open now
Lee Miller: Fashion in Wartime Britain, published by the Lee Miller Archives - a new book explores the under-recognised body of fashion photography made by the renowned surrealist photographer. Published 26 March
Lee Miller Hats Vogue Studio, London, England 1942 © Lee Miller Archives, England 2020. All rights reserved. Lee Miller: Fashion in Wartime Britain is published on 26 March 2021
interview
One of my great loves, aside from museums, is travel writing. I’ve even written a few pieces myself. I gorge on travel magazines and publications as they help transport me to fascinating places all over world. When museums and travel writing come together, I’ve hit the jackpot.
And that jackpot was definitely hit recently when I spotted a number of pieces - in the Telegraph, BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent, and more - on the reopening of museums in Florence (which have since closed again). Another article, which I featured in this newsletter a few weeks ago, was a big and exciting scoop for CNN on the Uffizi Museum’s plans to tackle over-tourism by showing artworks at up to 100 sites across the local region of Tuscany - the Uffizi Diffusi project.
All these articles were the work of the Italy-based journalist Julia Buckley. Julia is the former travel editor of the Independent, Evening Standard and the i newspaper, and former associate editor of the Sunday Times Travel Magazine. Now freelance, she specialises in writing about Italy and over-tourism. I spoke to her this week to find out how she got that amazing Uffizi scoop, and what it was like to be left totally alone with Botticelli’s Venus.
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You’ve been to Florence to report on the (brief) reopening of the city’s museums. What was it like to be there without the crowds?
It was extraordinary. I used to know Florence well – I went at least once a month when I was a student, living across the Apennines. I was working in a bar and at the weekends I would catch the bus across the mountains to Florence. In recent years, though, it had become unbearable – I was last there four or five years ago, for a story, and the crowds were so intense in the Uffizi that I walked straight through. But this time it was like walking onto an abandoned film set. In every room of every museum, I was either on my own or could wait a couple of minutes for others to move on. It was incredible walking around, having these places to myself. One night I went to the Palazzo Vecchio and didn’t see another visitor. I was treading the same floorboards as Dante, Machiavelli and Lorenzo de’ Medici, completely alone – it was staggering to think about. My first evening I went straight to the Uffizi, and spent 20 minutes alone with Botticelli’s Venus – even the guard had left. I could get up close and see the individual strands of her hair, and we just stood there, locking eyes with each other. It was so extraordinary that when the bell rang for closing time I made it down the stairs and had to sit down outside – I felt completely drained and overwhelmed. So on a personal level there was nothing like it, and I don’t think I will ever experience anything like that again. On the other hand, it was terribly sad – especially talking to locals who’ve been crippled by the pandemic.
You’ve said that Florence has become a “byword for over-tourism.” Has over-tourism harmed the city, and will we ever go back to those days post-pandemic?
They’re well aware that Florence was at breaking point and it wasn’t a beneficial kind of tourism – it wasn’t as bad as Venice, where the vast majority of visitors are daytrippers – but it was mass tourism, people wanting to spend as little as possible, so leaving little money behind. On top of that, the crowds put off spendier types of tourists, so it was the worst of both worlds. So yes, I think it’s done a lot of harm – it’s hollowed out the city centre, business and homes-wise, so that when I was there in February during lockdown, the centre was ghostly. There were fewer artisans than I remembered, too. I think it’d be naïve to think things will change massively post-pandemic, but I also think everyone is aware that things cannot go back to how they were – these cities were at breaking point. I reckon that within the next year or two, restrictions will be brought in for the most damaging things like Airbnb. Florence and Venice just put out a joint manifesto on mass tourism – it feels like momentum is picking up. We have two years to play with until visitor numbers return to pre-pandemic numbers apparently, so we need to use them carefully.
You got the scoop on the Uffizi Director’s plans to tackle over tourism by showing artworks at up to 100 sites across the local region of Tuscany - the Uffizi Diffusi project. What do you think of this plan, and will it get people bypassing Florence for the smaller towns and villages as he hopes?
I think it’s brilliant – I’ve been covering over-tourism for five years and this is the first scheme I’ve seen that’s positive not punitive, and the first one I think tourists will get excited about. The fact that the story went around the world I think shows the appetite for it. I also think it’s interesting seeing how international people are reacting to it. Local Tuscan media have been focusing on what it means for their towns, on a micro level. But when I zoomed out to look at the bigger picture, and what it means for those of us who don’t live in Tuscany, it went viral. I think that’s really hopeful, as my initial assumption would be that locals would love this project, but international tourists will still want to do the Florence circuit. But I think the insane reaction to my story shows that isn’t true – that there are many people who’ve ‘done’ the Uffizi and would like to come back but can’t face the crowds, as well as a growing number of people who want to travel for an all-encompassing experience – food, people, landscape – not just one work of art they can google from home in hi res. I don’t think Florence will ever not be crowded, but I do hope that this will create a change, another outlet and a model for other museums to follow.
The Uffizi has come under criticism for ‘dumbing down’ with its use of social media, and for just being part of the ‘selfie tourism’ trail. Is that criticism fair?
To be honest, the last time I went to the Uffizi I walked straight through – I couldn’t handle the crowds. And I’m pretty snobby about over-tourism in Italy – I like thinking I’m a ‘better’ kind of visitor than the selfie crowd. And I have to say, when I was researching the interview and saw that the Director, Eike Schmidt, had come under fire last year for inviting an Italian influencer to see the gallery, and the museum put up an Instagram post comparing her to Botticelli’s Venus, I rolled my eyes. But talking to him I got a completely different take on it. I asked if it killed him seeing people march through for a selfie with Venus, and he said – rightly – who was he (or I) to say who should visit a gallery, and what we should be taking from it? I’d been so busy feeling superior that I hadn’t thought about it like that. His take is that maybe someone comes in for a selfie, and leaves having seen one other piece of art that sparks something in them. I think he’s right – my obsession with Italy started with a school trip when I was 17, where it felt like I was stepping onto another, brighter planet. So, taking my selfish, crowd-hating hat off, I think it’s right what they’re doing in engaging people through social media – and actually, that post looking at how standards of beauty have changed across the centuries, comparing Botticelli’s Venus to Chiara Ferragni, suddenly seems not sexist but interesting and engaging.
Tell me a bit about the logistics of travel writing. Your trip and interview with the Uffizi Director resulted in three articles for CNN, BBC Radio 4 and the Telegraph. How did these all come about?
I’m lucky that I rarely pitch these days – usually editors come to me because they know my specialties and my style – but I actually pitched the ones from my Florence trip. When I was on staff at a publication, I could go somewhere with one story in mind and see if something else popped up, but since going freelance I’m trying to set up several stories per trip, so I wanted to get a few in to make it worth my while going down (especially during lockdown). For this one, I’d set up a couple of pieces about Florence during lockdown, and asked if I could have a chat with someone at the Uffizi to give me a quick quote for one piece, as well as a chat with the director for a longer piece about the future of museums (which is still in the works). They were brilliant, and set up a meeting with him – and it was so interesting that I could then parcel it out into other pieces. Once I’m in a place, I normally pick up other stories as I go – so the idea for the BBC piece was sparked by my visit to the Uffizi when I arrived, and it was just me in the empty museum. I’m also working on a more standard travel piece for National Geographic Traveller from that trip. One thing I would say, as an editor until recently, is that getting a few stories from one trip is the only way to make it financially viable (I had lined up 10 for my Brazil-Uruguay-Argentina trip last year that ended a week into it because the pandemic happened) but they do need to be different.
What’s it like being a travel writer during the pandemic?
For me it’s been disastrous but also life-changing. I lost my job – associate editor at the Sunday Times Travel Magazine – in September when the mag folded (it wasn’t the only one, travel media has been hit hard). But at the same time, that has meant I could finally pursue my dream of moving to Italy – I speak fluent Italian and used to come here every month. I moved to Venice and have never been happier. It means I’ll be spending a lot less time on planes and getting to know Italy a lot better. And although I’ll miss my jetsetting, what I’ve always loved about writing about Italy is unpeeling the layers. It’s a country that never fails to take my breath away. I’m hoping that when things start back up again, people will be craving smaller stories – ones that delve more into a single place and its people, rather than parachuted-in, whistlestop tours of entire countries. When I feel ready to go on holiday again, I’ll want to enjoy every minute – not spend half the time on coaches or internal flights rushing from place to place.
If we’re ever allowed to travel back to Florence, what hidden gem museums or cultural sites should we be heading to? And where should we be staying?
I popped into the Museo Marini this trip, which I’d never been to before – it’s an old church full of works by Marino Marini. The main part was roped off because of lockdown regulations, but the juxtaposition of ancient and modern looked extraordinary. I was allowed into the Rucellai Chapel, just off the lobby – the grave of one of the Florence Renaissance’s main patrons, with a memorial by Leon Battista Alberti. It was breathtaking. This isn’t exactly unheard of, but I always love the frescoes by Fra Angelico at San Marco, and the room dedicated to his paintings there has just been upgraded – it’s gone from dark to stunning, with new lighting and more context added. One more – swap the Boboli Gardens for the garden at Villa Bardini, next door – it’s prettier, less crowded and has better views of the city. That was a tip from Veronica, the owner at Velona’s Jungle B&B – it’s a superb place, like a luxury hotel, only run by her and her mum. It’s her grandparents’ home and stuffed with antiques that her granddad collected, as well as Christian Lacroix wallpaper and chichi fittings. My other favourite place is nearby – Riva Lofts – an old Arnoside factory renovated by a local architect, Claudio Nardi. His office is on site and he runs it with his daughter. They’re both lovely, locally owned businesses who desperately need post-pandemic support. I know everyone’s keen to travel again but we need to be making responsible choices about where to spend our money – and that needs to start with locally owned hotels.
Follow Julia on Twitter @juliathelast
and finally
Sticking with the travel theme, this week sees the 11th edition of the Liverpool Biennial kick off. The Sunday Times take a fascinating look at the city’s cultural heritage that makes it the ‘art capital of the north.’
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