One of the last quiet spots in tourist-saturated Florence is a cloister adjoining the Basilica of Santo Spirito, the residence of Augustinian friars whose predecessors arrived in the 13th century. Michelangelo lived here for more than a year, and a crucifix attributed to him hangs in the sacristy. This oasis of tranquillity is now the focus of a noisy confrontation. Several floors in buildings around the cloister belong to the Ministry of Defence, which once used them to store documents. In 2021 the ministry tendered a contract to restore the property. The winning (and only) bid came from a firm that plans to convert it into private care homes for the elderly. But no one told the friars.

“We found out by chance in January 2022,” says Father Giuseppe Pagano, the prior. “That is when our battle began.” One might think there are worse neighbours for a religious community than well-to-do old people. But the project has touched a nerve among Florentines who feel they are losing their city to wealthy foreigners. Several historic buildings have been converted to luxury accommodations, and the historic centre echoes with the clack of suitcase wheels on paving stones. The friars’ cause has been taken up by a local pressure group, Salviamo Firenze (Let’s Save Florence), whose main target is the proliferation of short-term tourist lets. By 2023, according to an official study, these accounted for more than 40% of housing apart from primary residences.

The Augustinians are pinning their hopes on a meeting next month with the mayor. They have an alternative plan to turn the renovated space into a cultural centre. A spokesman for Italy’s defence minister says he has ordered an “in-depth analysis of the legal position”. But there is talk of a mass occupation of the closed-off part of the convent, if an attempt is made to start work. “It would be a last resort,” Father Pagano cautions. But could it not lead to arrests? “There’ll be too many of us: all our parishioners are ready to join us. We know of five or six places where we can get in,” he adds with a chuckle that, were he not a priest, might be termed devilish. ■

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