Da Vinci’s travel plans stir outcry

The government may be wobbling, the economy sputtering, but there’s nothing like a good art feud to get Italians really riled up.

Politicians and literati are up in arms over plans to lend Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Annunciation” to a Tokyo museum. One Italian lawmaker threatened Friday to lash himself to the gates of the Uffizi Gallery to stop the painting from leaving Florence.

The 15th century masterpiece is scheduled to be bundled up like a Russian doll in a series of protective crates on March 12 and then flown to the Japanese capital. There it will be the centerpiece of a Leonardo exhibit at the National Museum running from March 20 through June 17 as part of “Italian Spring” -- a slew of events meant to promote Italian culture and products in Japan.

Art historians and intellectuals from Florence, including filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, have signed a petition asking Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli to cancel the loan, amid fears the painting could be damaged.

Uffizi director Antonio Natali did not return calls requesting an interview Friday and the ministry declined to comment.