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Published on November 22, 2023 10:06 p.m
Video length: 4 min
Heritage: In Italy, Florence takes care of its works of art. Head to Florence, a city that is home to a multitude of Renaissance masterpieces that need to be preserved. You have to dust off Michelangelo’s giant David, restore the cathedral’s facade, protect the unexhibited paintings in the Uffizi… The 20 hours will take you there. – (France 2)
Article written by France 2 – S. Perez, L. Pensa, S. Caracciolo
France TV
Head towards Florence, a city that is home to a multitude of Renaissance masterpieces that need to be preserved. You have to dust off Michelangelo’s giant David, restore the cathedral’s facade, protect the unexhibited paintings in the Uffizi… The 20 hours will take you there.
It is the cradle of the Italian Renaissance: Florence, its churches, its palaces, its thousands of works of art. A fragile heritage exposed to the passage of time, climatic threats and mass tourism. An army of little hands at his bedside. Inspired by Michelangelo’s famous David, Eleonora Pucci takes care of this 16th century marble jewel. “We mainly remove dust that decomposes the marble and threads that come from visitors’ clothing. (…) I take care of it as if it were a nice person,” she explains.
Florence Cathedral and its monumental dome are the daily life of stonemasons trying to fight erosion. “Climate change has created several problematic factors, including acid rain, which increases the erosion of marble,” explains Jacopo Agostini, an apprentice stonemason.
Some parts need to be replaced
The millions of tourists who flock there every year don’t always know it, but those responsible for Florence’s cultural heritage sometimes have to decide to replace the most damaged pieces. Last July, three copies of statues were hoisted from the main portal. The originals are restored in a workshop. “Of course we could restore it and put it back on site, but it wouldn’t last for decades. We prefer to remove it, restore it, put it in a museum and replace it with a copy,” adds Tommaso Bogi, stonemason.
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