Five environmental activists aligned with the Ultima Generazione movement carried leaflets and posters to the Uffizi Gallery, targeting the iconic painting Spring by Sandro Botticelli. This incident was reported by the Tuscan daily La Nazione. According to the report, the group aimed to draw attention to climate issues by placing materials directly on and near the work, a move that sparked immediate controversy and concern among visitors and staff alike.
The demonstrators sought to deface or at least challenge the painting by affixing their message to the protective curtain surrounding the work and to nearby gallery walls. The leaflets carried images and captions about flood damage that hit Tuscany in 2023, linking climate catastrophe to the broader discussion around energy policy and environmental action. The publication notes that security forces detained another subset of protesters prior to the main event, signaling a broader, planned action by the movement.
The disruption lasted only a few minutes, but it disrupted the normal flow of visitors who were temporarily asked to exit the hall. Carabinieri stationed near the Uffizi Gallery arrived promptly, dispersing the activists and restoring order as staff guided spectators back to their seats to resume viewing the masterpieces in their rotation of public exhibitions. The incident, while brief, highlighted the ongoing tension between artistic heritage spaces and contemporary political activism, especially when the cause involves urgent climate concerns as framed by environmental groups.
Earlier actions attributed to the Letzte Generation movement involved painting the facade of the Chancellor’s Office in Berlin with orange paint in a bid to spotlight what the group characterizes as insufficient government measures to address the climate crisis. The tactic of painting and direct action has been a hallmark of the group’s approach in recent campaigns, aiming to attract broad media attention and public conversation about energy policy, emissions reductions, and the transition to sustainable practices across Europe and beyond.
Across different capitals, older members of Letzte Generation described tense moments with drivers during protests in Vienna, noting misunderstandings and, at times, aggressive reactions from motorists. The reports point to a pattern in which climate activism intersects with daily life, provoking a spectrum of responses from sympathetic support to conflict on the streets. The set of events illustrates the wide geographic footprint of movements that push for faster action on climate targets while prompting debates about the ethics and legality of civil disobedience in the cultural heritage sector and public demonstrations in urban spaces.