On Tuesday, September 23, on the occasion of International Day of Sign Languages 2025, the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze inaugurates a new season of guided tours in Italian Sign Language (LIS) for deaf people.

After the great success of the spring meetings dedicated to Michelangelo’s sculpture, the Florentine museum renews its collaboration with the Ente Nazionale Sordi – Sezione Provinciale di Firenze and Stazione Utopia,

promoting a new in-depth study dedicated to the history and collections of the Gallery.

September 23 – International Day of Sign Languages 2025 – marks the start of a rich calendar of guided tours in LIS dedicated to deaf people.

Among the new features this season will be activities specially designed for children: on Wednesday, November 19, an engaging presentation will illustrate the techniques and tools used by sculptors in the 19th century and will be dedicated to deaf and hearing children between the ages of 6 and 12.

“It is with great pleasure that the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze continues its collaboration with ENS, expanding and renewing the museum’s visitor itineraries, both in terms of themes and selected works, and in the number of activities, introducing, with regard to LIS visits, an experimental itinerary dedicated to children,” says Giulia Coco, Art Historian, Head of Educational Services and Accessibility at the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze. “Together, we are also working on the creation of new digital tools and products, and more, for a museum visit that is increasingly autonomous, inclusive, and tailored to the needs of different audiences”.

“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze , which has always shown great attention and willingness, and we warmly thank them for this truly important opportunity” comments Roberto Petrone, Provincial President of the ENS Firenze, who recalls how “September 23 is an important day for the sign language community because it is dedicated to the sign languages of all the nations of the world”.

THE PROGRAM

The calendar of the LIS visits will begin on Tuesday, September 23 – International Day of Sign Languages 2025 – and continues until December 3, 2025, with eight afternoon appointments (all on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m., except for the first one), free of charge upon reservation, focusing on the different sections of the collections of the Galleria.

Each visit explores a specific aspect, enhancing the museum’s heritage with visual and participatory language. It begins with the discovery of Lorenzo Bartolini’s plaster casts housed in the Gipsoteca (Tuesday, September 23), followed by a journey through Florentine painting between the 13th and 14th centuries, among the masterpieces of Giotto and the Orcagna, artists who were able to renew Italian art in the representation of space and human emotions (Wednesday, October 15).

October 22 will be dedicated to the story of emblematic figures, illustrious men and women who lived in Florence in the nineteenth century and beyond, while on October 29, in the rooms on the first floor, Lorenzo Monaco and late Gothic art will explore the figure of the extraordinary Florentine painter and miniaturist.

In a double appointment, on November 5 for adults and November 19 for children, the secrets behind the process of creating a sculpture will be explored, from the initial idea to the final work.

November 12 will focus on the early Renaissance, with an emphasis on the history of painting and Florentine society in the 15th century through religious works as well as philosophical and secular ones.

The cycle concludes on Wednesday, December 3, United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with the large altarpieces from the 16th and 17th centuries, created during the Counter-Reformation (1545-1648), a crucial moment of cultural renewal for the Church in response to the Protestant Reformation.

The LIS visits are for groups of up to 10 deaf people, with a specialized guide and an LIS interpreter.

The kids’ tour is for groups of up to 10 deaf and hearing children, accompanied by a parent, for a total of up to 20 people.

For information and reservations
E-mail: edu@stazioneutopia.com
Phone: 3287084059