After almost a decade of closure, Florence’s former Fulgor Cinema is set to enter a new chapter. Non-profit organization Fondazione CR Firenze won the auction for the long-unused building, with plans to incorporate it into the Recreos urban regeneration project, promoted in partnership with the City of Florence in the via Palazzuolo area.

The cinema closed in June 2016. Since then, the future of the property has been a source of concern for local residents and the Palomar Palazzuolo committee, which over the years has highlighted the building’s deteriorating condition and fears that it could eventually be converted into luxury apartments.

Those concerns eased in autumn 2025, when the Palazzo Vecchio confirmed a further ten-year preservation of the building’s cinema designation for 50 per cent of the property. The decision kept open the possibility of a “new Fulgor” returning to the neighbourhood.

The 1,920-square-metre property was owned by Eleven Finance Srl, which was undergoing a creditor arrangement procedure. The auction had a starting price of €1.55 million. In addition to Fondazione CR Firenze, a second bidder also took part in the auction.

The acquisition is an important part of the Recreos project, which seeks to revitalize via Palazzuolo by strengthening the local economy and promoting quality traditional craftsmanship. The former Fulgor has been identified as a potential gateway to a renewed centre for Florentine artisans.

Eight artisans have already opened workshops in the area, while four more businesses are expected to move in by the autumn. The wider plan also includes architectural and urban improvements designed to reduce traffic and car use, expand pedestrian areas, improve accessibility and enhance the quality of public spaces.

Attention will now turn to the future of the former cinema and the functions it will eventually accommodate. For local residents and for the many Florentines who remember its auditoriums, the return of the Fulgor could become one of the defining symbols of via Palazzuolo’s urban renewal.