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A reviled crane used during the expansion of the Uffizi Galleries was taken down this week after years of protests.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Reporting from Florence, Italy

For nearly two decades, the skyline of Florence, Italy’s most iconically Renaissance city, has showcased a majestic dome by the architect Brunelleschi, a striking bell tower by the artist Giotto, another 14th-century tower above City Hall — and a yellow, 197-foot crane towering over the Uffizi Galleries.