Uffizi Gallery hosts Roman Africa talks from 16 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 04:13 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
The Uffizi Gallery is hosting a series of talks on Tuscany and Roman Africa from 16 October to 6 November 2026 in Florence. The programme follows Giovanni Pagni's seventeenth-century expedition to Tunisia and the African inscriptions that later entered Medici and Lorraine collections.
Roman Africa talks run at the Uffizi Gallery until 6 November
The talks take place every Friday at 5pm in the Paolucci Auditorium. The programme is organised by the Uffizi and examines the history of African antiquities that reached Tuscany, as well as their role in the study of the ancient world.
The schedule began on 16 October 2026 with Fabrizio Paolucci discussing Giovanni Pagni and the inscriptions of Barbary. Alessandro Muscillo follows on 23 October with a talk on the fortunes of African inscriptions in the Medici-Lorraine collections. The official programme lists further talks by Novella Lapini on 30 October and Alberto Gavini on 6 November.
Pagni was a physician and archaeologist sent to the court of Tunis in 1667. The programme connects that expedition with inscriptions brought to Tuscany and their later place in the collections held by the museum. ANSA's event report also places the talks in the Paolucci Auditorium between 16 October and 6 November 2026.
Vasari's building gives the programme a historical setting
The talks are held inside a museum whose architecture and collections are closely linked to the subject. The Gallery occupies the first and second floors of a building designed by Giorgio Vasari and constructed between 1560 and 1580, according to the museum's account.
Its holdings include ancient sculptures and paintings from the Middle Ages to the modern period, alongside works by major Italian and European artists. The museum also preserves ancient statues and busts from the Medici family, making the discussion of collected antiquities relevant to the building's own history. A history of the Uffizi Gallery records its origins as a sixteenth-century administrative complex before its development as a museum.
The connection between the series and the site is therefore more than a change of venue: the talks examine how ancient evidence entered ruling-family collections, while the surrounding museum displays the collecting traditions that shaped Florence's cultural institutions.
Visiting Uffizi Gallery: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The talk series runs from 16 October to 6 November 2026, with sessions on Fridays at 5pm in the Paolucci Auditorium.
- Admission is free until the available places are filled, as stated by the organiser. The talks are held within the Uffizi complex in Florence.
- The museum stands beside Piazza della Signoria and the River Arno in central Florence. The official language is Italian and the national currency is the euro.
- The Gallery occupies the first and second floors of the historic building. Lifts are available, and the museum provides an accessible ramp at Via della Ninna.
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Frequently asked questions about Uffizi Gallery
When do the Roman Africa talks take place at Uffizi Gallery?
The series runs from 16 October to 6 November 2026, with talks every Friday at 5pm in the Paolucci Auditorium.
What is Uffizi Gallery?
It is an art museum in Florence occupying the first and second floors of a building designed by Giorgio Vasari and constructed between 1560 and 1580.
Where is Uffizi Gallery and how do you get there?
The museum is beside Piazza della Signoria and the River Arno in central Florence. It has an accessible ramp at Via della Ninna and lifts for access within the building.
