Botticelli glass covered with images of floods.

Three climate activists from the Ultima Generazione group on Tuesday covered Botticelli's celebrated Birth of Venus painting with images of devastating floods in Italy.

The protestors taped pictures of the disastrous effects of the severe flooding in Tuscany onto the glass that protects the 15th-century masterpiece.

The activists called for a reparation fund of €20 billion "to support people who have suffered or will suffer in the near future damage from climate disasters".

"Today this painting, symbol of love and beauty, has transformed showing the destruction and pain we are already experiencing due to the climate crisis", one of the activists said before they were removed by police.

The Uffizi confirmed that there was no damage caused to the masterpiece thanks to the protective glass.

Last month the Italian parliament approved tough new penalties on those who damage or deface monuments and heritage sites, including fines of up to €60,000.

In July 2022 climate protesters glued their hands to the glass in front of another Botticelli masterpiece, La Primavera, also at the Uffizi Gallery.