Aristocratic Florentine winemaking family Antinori has agreed to sponsor part of a conservative restoration campaign on the Ponte Vecchio.
The City of Florence will be bearing most of the costs, while Marchesi Antinori is financing the part concerning the bridge’s facades.
“Our family history has always been inextricably linked to Florence since the 13th century,” explains Piero Antinori, honorary president of Marchesi Antinori. “The city has given us so much over the centuries, which is why it is a pleasure for us to be able to be part of this important project. 50 years of Tignanello [Antinori’s renowned Supertuscan wine, ed.] are the perfect occasion to be able to support the City of Florence in this new conservation project of the Ponte Vecchio, a symbol of Florence around the world and the pride of all Florentines.”
“For the first time in its long history, the Ponte Vecchio will undergo a complex restoration operation,” adds Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence. “The bridge doesn’t have any stability issues (it’s secure and anchored), but it does suffer from the usual problems linked with being outdoors, open to the elements and the ebbs and flows of the river. This is a historic project because the Ponte Vecchio has never undergone a restoration with this level of technical complexity. When it’s finished, we will have an even more beautiful bridge than before.”
Estimated to cost two million euro, the work will begin in autumn 2024 and continue in stages until the summer of 2026.
