About Us
Friends of Florence is a U.S. non-profit organization supported by individuals from around the world who are dedicated to preserving and enhancing the cultural and historical integrity of the arts located in the city and region of Florence, Italy, and to increasing public understanding and appreciation through educational programs and events.
Agnolo Bronzino. Portrait of Laura Battiferri
In collaboration with local authorities and informed by an advisory council of experts, Friends of Florence identifies significant projects in need of restoration. Friends of Florence secures funding and works with partners using cutting-edge technologies and meticulous techniques administered by hand to conserve irreplaceable artistic and architectural treasures for future generations.
Since its founding in 1998, the Foundation has raised and donated $12 million for over 250 conservation projects in the region. Each year, there are approximately 20 active projects. Friends of Florence works directly with Florence’s famed conservation laboratories to ensure restoration is done at the highest level, has the approval of the City of Florence and the Italian Ministry of Art, and is completed on time and on budget.
Through its work, Friends of Florence creates opportunities for the study and appreciation of paintings, sculptures, architectural elements, places of worship, and collections at the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, the Baptistry, the Piazza della Signoria, the Museum of San Marco, Palazzo Vecchio Museum, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, and dozens of other museums, churches, and public sites. Many of the city’s most familiar masterpieces—Michelangelo’s majestic David; Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus; Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise—have been conserved through the generosity of our supporters.
A model of high-impact, low-overhead philanthropy, Friends of Florence is the primary source of funding for the city’s conservators, a respected partner with museums and cultural authorities in Italy and the U.S., and a publisher/producer of publications, multimedia offerings, seminars, lectures, and cultural travel opportunities.
