The San Lorenzo neighbourhood has set the wheels in motion to raise the funds needed to restore its bell tower.
Ten gold-topped zuccotto cakes will be auctioned on Thursday May 5 from 7.30 to 9pm at Pasticceria Sieni in via dell’Ariento. The zuccotto cake is a Florentine specialty, a semi-frozen dessert made from layers of sponge cake, Alchermes liqueur, chocolate and cream or ricotta. Historic Florentine firm Manetti Battiloro has provided the gold leaf topping the desserts.
In an article in local Florence newspaper La Nazione, the president of Opera Medicea Laurenziana Enrico Bocci commented, “Yet again the Florentine community draws near to one of its most loved basilicas, San Lorenzo, to preserve its extraordinary artistic and historical treasures.”
The bell tower was erected in 1740 according to the wishes of the Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, the last scion of the House of Medici. Restoration work began in 2015 and tomorrow’s auction is part of an ongoing campaign to raise funds towards its completion.
To donate and for more information, visit www.operamedicealaurenziana.org/restorations/restauro-campanile-basilica-di-san-lorenzo.