Friends of the Uffizi Gallery knight chess piece. Representing loyalty and the right cause, the horse symbolizes the commitment of the Associations Amici degli Uffizi and Friends of the Uffizi Gallery to the benefit of the Uffizi Gallery. Every two years, the Friends of the Uffizi Gallery organize the Florentine Weekend, which includes art-focused activities at the Uffizi Gallery and in nearby locations throughout the City of Florence that relate to both Renaissance art and Italian culture. It is a members-only event open to Friends of the Uffizi Gallery members at the Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo membership levels. More than thirty restorations designated as a
New exit for the Uffizi Gallery New exit for the Uffizi Gallery The New Exit for the Uffizi Gallery (), designed by architects Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei, was the project that won the closed international design competition launched in 1998 with the purpose of expanding the museum's exhibition space and creating a grand exit. Many world-renowned architects participated, among whom were: Mario Botta, Norman Foster, Gae Aulenti, Hans Hollein and Vittorio Gregotti. As part of the Grandi Uffizi initiative, a 60 million euro renovation and development project for the overall museum, the loggia's construction became a controversial subject for Florentines and thus has been at