Under restoration the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de' Medici. Guided tours of the construction site kick off

From Dec. 16, until the work is completed, it will be possible to visit the site of the restoration work on the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici, a bronze work by Giambologna, commissioned by Ferdinando I de’ Medici.

Under the guidance of the experts from Cooperativa Archeologia, the executors of the restoration work, the public will be able to enter the structure that has been surrounding the famous equestrian statue for some time: they will have the opportunity to find themselves face to face with Cosimo I and his horse. One will be able to see the restorers at work and understand what interventions have been made. It will also be possible to learn about the history of the statue and discover how it was made.

The route winds all around the work, going around its marble base to reach the top, via construction site stairs, where the statue of Cosimo I was temporarily separated from the horse in order to carry out the restoration work on the bronze parts. Guided tours are completely free, reservations are required, and will take place until the restoration work is completed. The dates currently available for booking are Dec. 23, and Jan. 13 and 27 at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 p.m., while the schedule of appointments for the following months will be available in the coming weeks. The first two time slots are reserved for individuals, while the others are for schools (excluding Dec. 23 where all slots are reserved for individuals). The maximum number of participants is 15 people for each time slot, while as far as schools are concerned, only one class is allowed to visit at a time. The total duration of the entire tour will be about 40 minutes. Reservations on the portal www.restaurandofirenze.com/visite-didattiche are required to participate.

The restoration of the Statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici was desired and commissioned by the Municipality of Florence and carried out thanks to an agreement with the Florentine fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A., which, through Art Bonus, donated a liberal disbursement of more than one million euros. Performing the work is Cooperativa Archeologia, in collaboration with restorers Nicola Salvioli, for the bronze parts, and Stefano Landi, for the stone base. The work is directed by architect Tommaso Muccini of the Fine Arts Service of the Municipality’s Technical Services Department, with high supervision by the SABAP Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio (art historian official Dr. Lia Brunori) and with the support of the CNR (National Research Council) for diagnostic investigations.

The agreement with Ferragamo has already seen the completion of the restoration of the bronze copy of the David in Piazzale Michelangelo and also includes the restoration work on the sculptural groups placed on the arengarium of Palazzo Vecchio: the Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli, the copy of Judith and Holofernes, the statues of the Terms placed at the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio, and the copy of Michelangelo’s David, also at the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio, as of today ’free’ from scaffolding. Work on this work, in fact, has been completed and the sites have been dismantled. These interventions, also carried out by Cooperativa Archeologia, will also be explained to participants in the guided tours.

As for the equestrian monument of Cosimo I, the statue was disassembled from its horse last September 15. This made it possible to start restoration operations also inside the horse, which has a cavity under the saddle, so as to treat with specific protective substances also the inner walls as well as the outside, stop oxidation and protect from corrosion. Extensive studies and diagnostic investigations were carried out prior to the start of the work, the purpose of which was to assess the state of decay and the techniques of construction. Based on the results obtained, thorough preliminary tests were carried out in order to fine-tune the best intervention methods aimed at counteracting and slowing degradation. All interventions are carried out taking into account previous restoration work as well.

“A great opportunity, that of today, to be able to open the construction site to the public with guided tours for everyone: to see this masterpiece up close is a great emotion and this opportunity allows for an immersive journey also in the restoration and to get more and more passionate about our artistic heritage,” stressed Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture Alessia Bettini. “All this is possible thanks to good teamwork and a form of public and private partnership that works and is effective, and we take this opportunity to thank Ferragamo.”

“A way of visiting by which we offer citizens a special view of the monuments through the restoration sites,” said Public Works Councillor Titta Meucci. “A way to make citizens participate in the history of preservation of monuments: a heritage of all, not only of the Administration that takes care of their maintenance and enhancement. A path already successfully started with the opening of the construction sites of the Brancacci Chapel, the Fountain of Neptune and the Hall of the Elements and that allows to keep the perception of the monuments unchanged even during the restoration works by increasing their readability.”

Under restoration the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de' Medici. Guided tours of the construction site kick off

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.