The Sala degli Elementi inside the Palazzo Vecchio is set to undergo a 475,000-euro restoration, thanks to a contribution by the non-profit Fondazione Giulio e Giovanna Sacchetti. Part of FLorence I Care, the restoration is planned to last for around 500 days, but the work won’t affect visitors to the Palazzo Vecchio, a main stop on the tourist circuit. Quite the opposite, the worksite will be open for guided visits, allowing visitors to “see firsthand” how the restoration is progressing.
ph. Sailko
The Fondazione’s choice to help preserve the Sala degli Elementi was not a difficult one, as the founders, Giulio and Giovanna Sacchetti donate to what they are most interested, including the safeguarding and restoration of historical, cultural and artistic heritage. “Our objective…is to promote art projects and to support efforts to safeguard our artistic heritage, to promote it and hand it over, intact, to future generations,” said Giovanni Sacchetti, president of the Fondazione.
The Apartments of the Elements were designed in the mid-16th century upon the request of Cosimo I de’ Medici and overseen by Battista del Tasso and later, Giorgio Vasari. Within the Apartments, the fresco decoration in the Sala degli Elementi depicts the four elements, air, water, fire and earth, from which all things originate. Not coincidentally, the Sala di Leone X can be found directly below on the first floor: as Pope, Leo X pushed his family’s agenda, laying the foundations of the future Medici Dynasty. Just as all things are descended from the elements, one of the most powerful pre-Unification dynasties on the Italian peninsula was born out of the efforts of Leo X.
With this restoration, the historical and art historical significance of this space will be protected and visible in all its splendor for years to come. The project, entrusted to the temporarily associated companies “Meridiana-Mannucci-Techne,” will comprise a restoration of the fresco cycles and paintings that decorate the walls and ceiling of the room in its entirety. Work will begin this month and will be carried out in three phases so as to not disrupt public visits to the Palazzo Vecchio and to allow visitors to visit the room with limited difficulty. Guided visits, upon appointment, will be available at a later date.
