Florence cloudburst leaks into Uffizi near Caravaggio's Bacchus, no harm done

Rain poured into the Uffizi Gallery in Florence on 17 September 2026 during a torrential downpour that flooded parts of the city. Water leaked into a room holding Caravaggio's Bacchus. No works were damaged.

More than 45 millimetres of rain fell in just one hour, according to Euronews. The cloudburst, a sudden and very heavy fall of rain, overwhelmed the centre of Florence. It also sent water into Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the historic palace and museum complex, ArtNews reported.

Inside the Uffizi, the leak came from under a skylight. That room holds seven 17th-century paintings, including the Bacchus, Yahoo News reported. The skylight is the glass opening in the ceiling that lets daylight in.

Water reached the outer pane of the protective display case around the Bacchus. A display case is the sealed glass housing built to shield a painting from dust, touch and changes in air. The water stayed on that outer layer. It did not reach the painting itself.

After necessary checks, the Uffizi Galleries said no damage was found to any works. Checks in this context mean close inspection by museum staff to look for water contact, marks or changes. The museum also said the building is regularly open to visitors.

What makes this stand out is how close it came. Glass did its job. A thin barrier held between rainwater and canvas.

For visitors, this means normal service. The Bacchus can still be seen in its room. The museum has given no indication of closures or cancelled viewings after the 17 September event.