On April 3 and 4, five rooms in the Uffizi were closed to the public due to an infestation of ticks.
An empty corridor at the Uffizi | Ph. Helen Farrell
The rooms were closed within minutes by the museum after being alerted to the situation by a security guard.
An inspection took place on the Sunday, followed by pest control on the Monday on the museum’s usual day of closure.
Speaking to Italian press agency Agenzia Dire, Uffizi director Eike Schmidt commented, “Our procedures work… Just 19 minutes were needed from first sighting of the ticks to the closure of room 19.”
The cause has been blamed on the pigeons that perch on the Uffizi’s windows.
Rooms 19 to 23 at the Uffizi, which feature 15th-century Italian painting, reopened to the public on April 5.
