A skylight leak at the Uffizi sent water splashing onto the case protecting Caravaggio’s Bacchus during Thursday’s flash flood, but inspections confirm the works themselves came through unscathed.
A violent storm over Florence on Thursday 17 September sent rainwater leaking into the Uffizi Gallery, with more than 45mm falling in a single hour overwhelming drainage on the historic building. Water seeped in beneath a skylight in the Sala del Seicento, splashing onto the outer glass of the protective case housing Caravaggio’s celebrated Bacchus (circa 1598) and reaching six other 17th-century paintings displayed in the same room.
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The museum confirmed, following inspection by its technical staff, that no damage was found to Bacchus or to any of the other works in the room, and that the water did not penetrate beyond the outer glass of the display cases. The affected gallery reopened to visitors as usual on Friday morning.
Second incident this year
The leak is the second infrastructure issue to affect the Uffizi in 2026, following an air conditioning failure in June that forced a temporary suspension of ticket sales during a heatwave. Nearby, Palazzo Pitti also saw flooding in its Palatine Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art during the same storm, with some exhibition areas closed as a precaution; it remains unclear how water entered the historic Renaissance palace.
The back-to-back incidents are likely to renew questions over long-term investment in climate and water management at Florence’s most visited museums.
