Higher education for restoration: the Opificio 2025 Foundation is born

TheOpificio delle Pietre Dure launches a higher education initiative for the restoration and conservation of cultural heritage. With the Opificio Foundation 2025 program, the Florentine institute renews its commitment to the dissemination of knowledge by offering a training program aimed at professionals in the field. The project, which will kick off on May 17, comes under the aegis of Opificio Foundation (FOP), established in 2018 by Fondazione CR Firenze to enhance the experience and expertise of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The goal is ambitious: to provide up-to-date tools to an evolving discipline, where conservation is a field of study involving technology, science and risk management.

“Fondazione CR Firenze through the establishment of the instrumental entity Opificio Foundation FOP,” says Duccio Traina President of FOP, “from 2018 has the goal of supporting the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in the enhancement of its competencies, to initiate higher education programs, special projects such as specialization in the field of modern and contemporary art or the dissemination of the Institute and its cultural capital at the international level.”

For the Opificio delle Pietre Dure," emphasizes Emanuela Daffra, Superintendent, “this program marks the start of an activity that, thanks to FOP, we intend to make structural. An additional way of dissemination but also of constant discussion and critical review on a very delicate operation such as the preservation of cultural heritage. That this takes place precisely on the stroke of 50 years of the Institute’s ’modern’ activity constitutes - I like to think - yet another opening to the future of a very solid tradition.”

An innovative program to meet new challenges

The 2025 training plan includes four seminars and three workshops, available both in-person and online. The courses will be led by Opificio experts, with contributions from international specialists, to ensure constant comparison with the most advanced conservation methodologies. The topics covered range from non-invasive diagnostics to the maintenance of textile artifacts and the management of cultural heritage in emergency situations. The latter topic is increasingly relevant in a context marked by climate change and the seismic vulnerability of the Italian territory. The Opificio delle Pietre Dure, in fact, assumed its current physiognomy in 1975, with the birth of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. Since then, it has built a reputation for excellence that today finds new expression in the School of Higher Education and Study (SAFS), the centerpiece of restoration teaching.

A multidisciplinary approach between tradition and innovation

The educational offerings of Opificio Foundation 2025 combine the tradition of restoration with advanced technological tools. In fact, the courses include modules dedicated to the latest diagnostic techniques and the use of innovative materials for conservation. Particular attention will be paid to training on prevention and emergency intervention strategies, an area in which the Opificio has extensive experience. The lectures will take place mainly at the Opificio’s premises, however, the possibility of enjoying the theoretical parts remotely will allow the audience of enrolled participants to be broadened, offering opportunities for refresher training to a wider audience.

From restoration to emergency management

One of the most innovative aspects of the program is its focus on cultural heritage management in crisis contexts. The Opificio delle Pietre Dure has gained experience in protecting works of art in emergency situations, whether following natural disasters or accidental events.

The calendar of courses includes crucial appointments such as the workshop on Mist-Lining, an advanced technique for the restoration of paintings, and the seminar on the protection of contemporary art, which also addresses legal aspects related to conservation. The program also includes sessions devoted to the maintenance of textile artifacts, a sector that is often overlooked but of great importance to the cultural heritage spread throughout the territory.

Higher education for restoration: the Opificio 2025 Foundation is born

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