Florence, the Ponte Vecchio will be restored for the first time in its history. 2 million intervention

For the first time in its history, the Ponte Vecchio, a symbol of Florence and among the most famous monuments in the world, will undergo a conservative restoration. The restoration, which will take the form of a thorough operation of cleaning and arranging the most deteriorated parts, is necessary because of atmospheric agents and the constant flow of the Arno River, including floods, although it is well secured and anchored, with no structural safety problems. The work, planned in close coordination by the Palazzo Vecchio’s Fine Arts and Road Services, will cost about two million euros.

"This is anunprecedented operation: over the centuries the Bridge has undergone various transformations and numerous consolidations, most recently the one after the dramatic flood of 1966, but never had people been concerned about the state of the stone and decorations," said Florence Mayor Dario Nardella. “Now the time has come, thanks to a major investment by the city administration, for a complete restyling that will return to the city and the world an iconic asset that has been completely restored and enhanced.”

The next few days will therefore see the setting up of a floating platform complete with scaffolding necessary for the execution of the surveys, the installation of the bridge’s monitoring system (which will last one year) and the sampling of materials, a fundamental service for the design of the restoration. Preparatory activities that will be carried out by qualified contracted companies identified under the Global Service. In fact, the platform will be used by the employees of the contracted laboratories and will remain positioned inside the riverbed for about three weeks, barring unforeseen events and adverse weather conditions, moving from time to time from one span of the bridge to the other according to the timing needed to carry out the specific investigations and sampling of each span/pile/shoulder. The platform will be moored with the help of two concrete cubes near the left bank and, throughout the construction period, will be moved by a small tugboat both for survey needs and in case of an orange or red weather alert. During operations, the platform will be held in place by four admiralty anchors, weighing about 70 kilograms each, placed upstream of the Old Bridge. The anchors will also be connected to each other by a catenary on the bottom of the riverbed about 50 meters away from the rostrum of the piers, also on the upstream side. In addition to the platform surveys, some drone shots are planned between October 24 and 25. The assembly operations will take three days, and the surveys will go on for three weeks.

The restoration work will work on color alterations, the presence of algae, lichen and weed vegetation, inconsistent surface deposits, and fractures and cracks in the pietra forte, particularly evident under the arches. All moisture stains in the soffit of the structure, on the abutments and on the piers will also have to be removed.

It will begin with biological disinfestation and then proceed to the consolidation of the damaged stone and the reconstruction of the missing parts of all components of the bridge, from the vaults to the piers to the under arches and parapet. Special attention will also be given to the parts decorated with coats of arms and selvages, which are now difficult to read. Degraded wooden parts (so-called struts) supporting the stores will also be fixed with woodworm treatment and painting. Finally, work will be done on the roadway with joint stenciling and protective painting of the pavement, also in order to avert any possible percolation of rainwater inside the structure.

Pictured is the Old Bridge. Credit

Florence, the Ponte Vecchio will be restored for the first time in its history. 2 million intervention

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