In lockdown Italy, school kids get online art history lessons from Uffizi Gallery

Rome: Italy has declared its highest level ‘red zone’ restrictions in half of the country, resulting in the widespread closure of schools and museums, amid a new wave of covid-19 infections.

To counteract this unhappy situation, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence has stepped in to offer what are possibly the world’s greatest virtual art history lessons.

The distance learning project, titled Forza scuole – Arrivano gli Uffizi, offers school children 45-minute lessons which come in three different formats, reports online art magazine Finestre sull’Arte.

The prince’s casket (for primary school classes) is built around the places and characters of the Medici family, illustrated by some of the museum’s masterpieces.

Children will be taught about “fundamental themes” including collections and the uniqueness of works of art as well as respect and how to behave correctly in museums.

The palace of wonders (primary level) offers a chance to learn about the history of Palazzo Pitti, its collections and the three ruling families who lived there from the 16th to the 20th century.

The online lesson is presented in the form of a “walk” among the treasures of the palace and its museums up to the Boboli Gardens.

The Renaissance in the Uffizi masterpieces is aimed at lower secondary school level, taking students on a journey to discover the museum’s unparalled collection of Renaissance masterpieces.

“It’s already the second year in a row that school children cannot come to see our museums,” said Uffizi director Eike Schmidt. “So, also to help students and teachers, the Uffizi Galleries have decided to bring their history and their treasures into the virtual classrooms of remote teaching.”

“Our desire is to vary the remote learning routine with stimulating content, suitable for creating, in synergy with the teachers, an “integrated digital teaching” itinerary” that embraces “new non-formal learning methods,” added Silvia Mascalchi, coordinator of the Uffizi Galleries education department.