Aconteceu sexta (4), na Santa Croce, em Florença, a celebração da restauração da pintura de Giorgio Vasari apoiada pela Prada.
A cerimônia de inauguração contou com a presença do presidente da Itália, Sergio Mattarella, além de Patrizio Bertelli.
Opera di Santa Croce and Opificio delle Pietre Dure present
GIORGIO VASARI
LAST SUPPER
Fifty years after the flood, the newly restored masterpiece of Giorgio Vasari returns to Santa
Croce, with thanks to Opificio delle Pietre Dure and to the contribution of Prada, Getty
Foundation and Protezione Civile.
Fifty years after the flood of Florence, reappears the great painting by Giorgio Vasari that only
a few can remember to have seen: Last Supper that water and mud engulfed in a room of the
Museum of Opera di Santa Croce on November of 1966. This is an extraordinary story of studies,
hopes, restoration and technological development; the generosity of patrons and expectations
which made the return of a masterpiece to the world possible. That which appeared shrouded in
darkness forever, has returned to light and color: Last Supper is a story that looks into the
future.
Irene Sanesi, president of Opera di Santa Croce
Last Supper by Giorgio Vasari from Santa Croce was considered almost impossible to recover, and
thus remained for 40 years in the deposits of Superintendence. Its restoration represents a
victory over a challenge than the OPD faced starting with 2004 and was brought to completion
thanks to its manifold nature of operational laboratory, research institute and restoration school.
Their multifaceted strategies have helped to build an innovative project which achieved better
than expected results, making use of the resources provided by Protezione Civile, Getty
Foundation and Prada, along with the customary support of the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività
Culturali e del Turismo.
Marco Ciatti, superintendent Opificio delle Pietre Dure
GIORGIO VASARI, LAST SUPPER
This picture was painted in 1546 for the refectory of the Murate, a monastery of cloistered
Benedictine nuns in what is now Via Ghibellina. When the religous orders were suppressed in 1808–
10 by the French government which ruled Tuscany at the time following its annexation to France,
the Murate was closed and its assets impounded and moved to storage in the city. Last Supper was
moved to the convent of San Marco and then transferred to the Castellani Chapel in Santa Croce in
1815, where it remained for over fifty years until it was moved again to the convent’s former
refectory in the 1880s following the decision to turn the refectory into a museum. When the
museum was extended between 1959 and 1962, the picture was hung in the most recent room
(currently the first room in the tour) where it was engulfed by water and mud in the flood of 4
November 1966.
RESTORATION
Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper, which was engulfed by floodwater and mud in a room in this museum
on 4 November 1966, was stored in a Soprintendenza warehouse for decades along with many
other works that had suffered flood damage. After fifty years, thanks to new technologies, to the
dedication of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and with the support of Prada, Getty Foundation and
the Civil Protection Department, it was miraculously restored and rehung in the refectory. Most of
the museum’s works of art were moved to a higher level in areas adjacent to the basilica between
2013 and 2014, but a system of counterweights was specially designed and manufactured for this
painting with also a contribution from the Fondazione CR Firenze, allowing it to be rapidly raised
by mechanical means in the event of a flood warning.
The return of Last Supper to Santa Croce is a virtuous example of art patronage that witnessed
the cooperation, over more than ten years, of Prada for the restoration of the painting, of Getty
Foundation for the wooden support and initially also of the Protezione Civile for the inspection
and analysis of the damaged work.
We were delighted to accept the invitation from the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano, the Italian
National Trust) to support, through the work of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Workshop of Semi-
Precious Stones), the restoration, one might even say the rebirth, of a work as important as
Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper. We are therefore proud to have helped to return this extremely
significant work to its original location in the refectory of the Opera di Santa Croce after 50
years, and to make it accessible to the public, who can once again admire it in all its beauty.
Patrizio Bertelli, Chief Executive Officer of the Prada Group
PULLEY SYSTEM FOR RAISING WORKS OF ART ABOVE THE FLOOD DAMAGE RISK LEVEL
The Opera di Santa Croce joined with other museums in signing a protocol in 2011 committing it to
preparing emergency plans for the safety of its exhibits. In view of the fact that the warning the
Protezione Civile issues is never more than eighteen hours ahead of the event at best and that it is
unrealistic to expect to be able to shift all the works of art in such a short space of time, in 2014
the Opera di Santa Croce hung Cimabue’s Crucifix and the restored works higher than the flood
risk level. The Crucifix, a veritable symbol of the flood in 1966, used to hang in the Refectory but
it now hangs in perfect safety in the Sacristy. Ahead of the return of Vasari’s Last Supper, the
problem arose of where to hang it in safety, and the choice of the Refectory was carefully
evaluated. Thanks to the experience built up with the Crucifix using an emergency winch,
research was now directed towards a simpler and more reliable system. Having discarded the idea
of using electrical equipment in order to avoid any risks in the event of a power cut, time-worn
methods were revived based on counterweights with pulleys, endowing the wooden structure
containing the painting with a metal chassis having welded telescopic bars whose ends are fixed to
the Refectory wall. Two chains connect the work of art to a counterweight on the outside wall;
and finally, the whole system of mechanical cogs and gears is fitted both with a safety block to
keep the painting in the position in which it is usually displayed and with a braking system. In the
event the painting is raised, the braking system makes it possible to gradually reduce the speed of
the movement until the painting comes to a halt at a height of roughly six metres. That is over a
metre higher than the predictable high-water mark in the event of a flood. A catch then keeps the
painting stable in its raised position. A single person can complete the entire operation in the
space of two minutes. The design of this lifting system is the product of a joint venture between
the University of Florence, Geoapp srl and the Opera di Santa Croce’s own Technical Department,
it was developed by Sertec sas and it was manufactured with a generous contribution from the
Fondazione CR Firenze.
SANTA CROCE AND THE ARNO RIVER
In keeping with the spirit of St. Francis, the convent of Santa Croce was founded in the 13th
century in a poor neighbourhood that was lower than the bed of the Arno. It was thus inevitably
exposed to the danger of flooding and not a century (occasionally not even a decade) went by
without a terrible flood. The most destructive floods were in 1333, 1557, 1844 and 1966, the
latter being the most destructive of all. Water mixed with oil and mud reached a height of almost
six metres in the museum rooms, and the works of art on display were engulfed and badly
damaged. Cimabue’s Crucifix is the symbol of the tragedy along with frescoes, panel paintings and
canvases. Working with Soprintendenza staff, servicemen, volunteers and students, the friars
shovelled away the mud and then helped to lay the panel paintings flat in order to prevent the
paint from flaking because they lacked the materials required to fix it. The paintings were then
moved elsewhere by whatever means came to hand, pending restoration which sometimes took
decades – or even half a century in the case of Vasari’s Last Supper.
The Opera di Santa Croce completed the first phase of a scheme for protecting its works of art
from the danger of flooding between 2013 and 2014. The scheme began with the delicate transfer
of Cimabue’s huge Crucifix to the Sacristy and of equally imposing altarpieces to the Medici or
Novitiate Chapel.
press office
adicorbetta
stampa@adicorbetta.org
t. +39 0289053149
@adicorbetta
Opera di Santa Croce Firenze
@santacroceopera
operadisantacroce.it
TWO NIGHTS WITH VASARI
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Flood of Florence,
Opera di Santa Croce celebrates the return of the restored masterpiece by Giorgio
Vasari, with two special and free openings:
Friday, November 4th and Saturday, November 5th 2016
from 8pm to midnight
free entry to Cenacolo of Santa Croce
REFECTORY
The old convent refectory was built in the early decades of the 14th century when the Franciscan
community in Santa Croce numbered roughly one hundred and fifty friars. Its use as a refectory
ceased in the early 19th century and it was turned into a storehouse. In 1900 it was restored for
use as an exhibition hall to display works of art from the church and convent. Today it forms the
heart of a museum that has gradually grown since the middle of the 20th century, when the works
of art it housed at the time were extremely badly damaged, several even beyond repair, in the
flood of 1966. The water rose to a height of five metres and the Museo di Santa Croce was
identified as the “epicentre of the disaster”. Since then, the outstanding job done by the Opificio
delle Pietre Dure’s restoration laboratories and the Florence Soprintendenze, working in
conjunction with the Opera di Santa Croce, has led to the recovery of numerous important works
that are now back on public display in and around the monumental complex.
Opera di Santa Croce is a secular entity whose chief purpose is to administer, safeguard and
optimise the Monumental Complex of Santa Croce in Florence, a complex owned by the Fondo
Edifici di Culto del Ministero dell’Interno and by the Comune di Firenze. Originally established
in the 14th century, the Opera di Santa Croce has been an ONLUS (not-for-profit organisation) since
1998. In its capacity as a Fabbriceria, it is governed by the Lateran Pacts of 1929 between the
Italian State and the Catholic Church and by Presidential Decree 33/1987 stipulating that it must
be run by a collegial entity comprising seven board members appointed by the Interior Ministry
every three years.
The Opera di Santa Croce is regulated by a statute which lays down as its institutional aim the
safeguard, promotion and optimisation of the religious, civic, cultural and historical aspects of
the Monumental Complex of Santa Croce.
Board of the Opera di Santa Croce
President
Irene Sanesi
Secretary
Ludovica Sebregondi
Board members
Alessandro Andreini
Giorgio Fiorenza
Stefania Fuscagni
Anna Mitrano
Mario Primicerio
Secretary General
Giuseppe De Micheli
The Basilica of Santa Croce has been served by a community of Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual
ever since its foundation.
Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper is the property of the Fondo Edifici di Culto del Ministero
dell’Interno .
The Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Restauro di Firenze, today an institute of the Ministero dei
beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo, began as a national agency in 1975 when two Florentine
institutions active in the fields of artistic production and conservation of works of art were combined. These
were the historic and renowned Opificio delle Pietre Dure, founded in 1588 as a grand-ducal workshop,
and transformed into a restoration centre towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the Laboratori di
restauro (restoration laboratories), created in 1932 as part of the Florentine Soprintendenza and greatly
expanded in the new centre at the Fortezza da Basso after the 1966 flood.
The Historic Opificio was founded by Ferdinando I de’ Medici as a workshop specialised in the semiprecious
stone inlay called “pietre dure” and was part of the “Galleria dei lavori” (grand-ducal workshops) inside the
Uffizi. The Opificio workshop continued its activity during the Lorraine dynasty (18th – 19th centuries), and
up to the late nineteenth century worked on its masterpiece of pietre dure decoration: the Chapel of the
Princes in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. During its three centuries of artistic activity, the Opificio workshop
also created impressive objects in pietre dure to furnish the grand-ducal residences or to be presented as
gifts to the luminaries of Europe. This splendid era of artistic production is presented in the Museum of the
Opificio in the historic building on Via degli Alfani. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy and the
end of the Tuscan grand duchy, the Opificio lost its main patron and risked closure in the ensuing crisis. But
the long tradition, the technical ability of the craftsmen, and the energy of the new director, Edoardo
Marchionni, revitalised the Opificio, expanding activity into the restoration field, an activity emerging as
the means for conserving material memory and national identities throughout Europe.
In 2007 Opificio delle Pietre Dure has been recognised as an autonomous Istituto Centrale (central
institute) of the ministry, under the Direzione Generale Educazione e Ricerca (education and research
general secretariat). Today, the Opificio extends its research and conservation across all media divided into
the following departments: tapestries; bronzes and antique arms; paintings on canvas and panel; parchment
and paper; ceramics, glass, wax; stone; mosaics and pietre dure (Florentine stone mosaic); metalwork and
jewellery; wall paintings; polychrome wood sculptures; textiles. It also has a scientific laboratory divided by
discipline including environmental management and preventive conservation and an archaeological service.
The Institute employs about 90 individuals, among these: art historians, conservators, conservation
scientists, laboratory technicians, and administrative and auxiliary personnel. Its activities take place in
three different sites in Florence: the historical building on via degli Alfani; the premises inside the Fortezza
da Basso; the Sala delle Bandiere (Hall of the Banners) in Palazzo Vecchio. Additionally, the Opificio
conducts activities outside its walls, contributing directly to both conservation projects and consulting for
technical and scientific problems. The Opificio houses one of the three Italian state conservation schools
with the title: Scuola di Alta Formazione e di Studio. The Opificio carries out research collaborations on
cultural heritage, especially in the fields of technical art history and the study of conservation materials.
Institutional partners include national and international public entities, universities, and research institutes.
In some instances, these collaborations have resulted in the stipulation of conventions establishing common
lines of research.
Since 1986, the Institute has published its annual journal, OPD Restauro, dealing technical, scientific,
analytical, theoretical and historical aspects of conservation. Additionally, high-profile, complex
conservation treatments are of ten presented in monographs, such as those in the series, Problemi di
conservazione e restauro.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE: ANALYSIS AD RESEARCH
Conservation science and, in general, the application of scientific disciplines to the conservation of cultural
heritage represent an important and well-established part of the Opificio. The scientific laboratories
provide assistance to the conservators while at the same time carrying out research in the fields of
technical art history and conservation science for cultural heritage. They also are responsible for science
education and training in the Scuola di Alta Formazione e di Studio. These laboratories have been active for
many years, and they constitute an important authority in conservation science for conservators, scientists,
art historians, and archaeologists at both national and International levels. The two departments working in
diagnostics, analysis, and research are the Laboratorio scientifico (conservation science department) and
the Climatologia e conservazione preventiva (environmental management and preventive conservation
department).
THE MUSEUM belonging to the Opificio is a direct descendent of the pietre dure workshop founded in 1588
by Ferdinando I de’ Medici. The holdings of the museum do not reflect a single collecting vision but instead
represent the production activities over the centuries: the ‘life and times’ of the workshop. The most
prestigious creations, often given as gifts by the Florentine grand dukes, can be found in palaces and
museums throughout Europe. The works that remained to be incorporated into the museum in 1882 were
those that survived the nineteenth century dispersal of much of the collection. The collection contains very
evocative and refined works and illustrates the evolution of the workshop, extending over three centuries.
In 1995, the museum was renovated following the design of Adolfo Natalini. The collection was reorganised
thematically: the areas around the entrance hall document the production during the eras of the Medici and
Lorraine grand dukes; the small nineteenth century rooms document post Unification (1860) activity; the
mezzanine floor is dedicated to techniques of craftsmanship. An extensive display in this area contains
samples of the stones, the workbenches, the tools, and demonstration examples that show the phases in the
making of a masterpiece in Florentine stone inlay.
THE SCHOOL AT THE OPIFICIO began teaching conservation in 1978. The diploma issued by the Opificio is
equivalent to laurea magistrale (a five-year university degree) in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural
Heritage (LM-R / 02). The five year programme consists of 300 credit hours. Courses are carried out in the
Opificio’s laboratories and include theoretical lessons and hands on experience. Course structure varies
based on the following tracks: 1. Stone and stone derivatives. Decorated architectural surfaces; 2. Paintings
on panel and canvas. Three-dimensional wooden sculpture; 3. Painted and/or synthetic multimaterial
objects; 4. Textiles and leather objects; 5. Ceramics and glass. Metals and alloys; 6. Documents and books.
Paper-based objects. Photographic, film and digital material
DOCUMENTATION AND RESEARCH SERVICES
The record and research activities of the Institute include the Library, the Archives of conservation
documentation, and the Historical archives located at the Via degli Alfani site, and the Photography studio,
located at the Fortezza da Basso. The “Ugo Procacci” library, named in honour of Ugo Procacci, dates from
the period after the 1966 flood. Archives of conservation, documentation on Via degli Alfani contain
documentation of conservation treatments since 1934 when the modern Opificio was created. The archives
contain photographs and treatment reports, some of which have been digitalised.
HISTORICAL ARCHIVES This archive extends from 1789 to 1975 and documents the transformation of the
Opificio from a court workshop under the patronage of the Grand Duchy (1789-1859) to an artistic
production facility and, at the end of the nineteenth century, to an institution for restoration. The historic
material at the Opificio is divided into two distinct collections: the first is older and consists of a series of
manuscript files that document the production of pietre dure artworks. This portion of the archive covers
the late-eighteenth century to the end of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1859) with a few subsequent
additions through to the end of the nineteenth century. The more recent collection is composed of
handwritten, typewritten, and photographic documents relating to the Opificio’s activity beginning in the
1880s.
CULTURAL PROMOTION OFFICE This office is responsible for the institutional communications of the
Institute, providing information to the general public on conservation activities, scientific research and
experimentation of new treatment technology, new diagnostic techniques and educational activities. The
office organizes conferences and meetings both on and offsite in collaboration with other departments or
with external partners; manages participation in various conservation and restoration expositions; functions
as a press and public relations office; manages the editorial office for the journal “OPD Restauro” and the
other publications put out by the Opificio; manages the website in collaboration with the IT services
department; collaborates with the Associazione Amici dell’Opificio (Opificio’s Friends) in organizing guided
visits to the conservation laboratories.
THE ASSOCIATION AMICI DELL’OPIFICIO (Opificio’s Friends) was founded in 2005 as show of solidarity and
pride in the Opificio. The purpose of the association is to offer substantial, ongoing support for the
Opificio’s many activities. The main goal of the association is, therefore, to promote the activity of the
institute in its three-fold mandate: as the heir of the Medici pietre dure displayed at the museum, as the
important and multifaceted conservation institution, and as the academic training centre for
conservation professionals. There are many benefits for members, including free entry to the museum,
specially organised visits to the exhibitions coordinated by the Opificio, and the possibility of participating
in conferences, and other occasions to disseminate and celebrate the accomplishment of the institution.
www.opificiodellepietredure.it opd.promozioneculturale@beniculturali.it
Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada’s grandfather, in Milan. Located in the prestigious
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Prada was an exclusive, stylish store selling luggage, accessories and luxury
goods, in fine materials and of sophisticated workmanship. The Milan store quickly became a firm favourite
with the aristocracy and the most sophisticated members of the European elite. In 1919 Prada received the
warrant of “Official Supplier of the Italian Royal Household”, and since then has been entitled to display the
royal Savoy coat of arms and figure-of-eight knots alongside the company logo. Miuccia Prada and Patrizio
Bertelli started working together in the late 70’s, laying the foundations of the international expansion that
was to come. Patrizio Bertelli broke new ground in the luxury goods sector, introducing a new business
model in which he kept direct, internal control over all processes, applying uncompromised quality criteria
across the entire production cycle. Miuccia Prada’s creative talent and avant-garde approach attracted the
attention of the global fashion industry, while her ability to look at the world from an unconventional
vantage point allowed her not only to anticipate, but quite often, to set new trends. Prada casts its creative
eye beyond the boundaries of fashion, to include art, architecture, cinema and culture as key reference to
the brand’s core values. Today the Prada brand includes men’s and women’s leather goods, ready-to-wear
and footwear which synthesize an innovative, sophisticated and modern design coupled with the high
quality typical of handcrafted products. Prada is also active in the eyewear and fragrance sectors. Together
with Miu Miu, Church’s, Car Shoe and Marchesi 1824, the Prada brand is part of the Prada Group, a global
powerhouse in the luxury goods market, as well as a business icon capable of combining industrialized
processes with sophisticated workmanship, top quality and the level of detail characteristic of craft
production. www.prada.com www.pradagroup.com
For further information, please contact ufficio.stampa@prada.com
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Prada Group pursues economic growth in conjunction with sustainable development in the immediate
and long term, with the objective of building the foundation for the company of the future. The constant
evaluation of the outside world is a fundamental part of the Prada Group, and consequently, the company’s
DNA is naturally aligned with the issues on which society is largely focused today: respect for people, for the
environment, for communities and for artistic heritage. The year 2015 saw the launch of the corporate
website www.csr.pradagroup.com, a new perspective on the Prada Group. The website highlights the steps
that have been undertaken towards sustainability, initially subconsciously, and then increasingly consciously,
in over thirty years of industrial development. This site aims to be a major contributor to the diffusion of
practices and values within the Group, along the supply chain and among the main stakeholders, whilst
demonstrating the Group’s commitment to them to continue along that path.
PRADA AND FAI – FONDO AMBIENTE ITALIANO
Knowledge, tangibility, consistency, independence, quality.
These are the five principles that inspired Prada in 2010 to recognize FAI as a sensitive and caring partner
with whom to plan and implement initiatives to give back to the community precious elements of local
artistic heritage. The project highlights Prada’s strong artistic and cultural ties, which constitute an integral
part of the brand’s values and inspiration for all its activities. A long-term, continuing collaborative process
has been set in motion involving actions that speak to the local area, its history and its special qualities.
Whenever Prada opens a new store in Italy, it supports local restoration and values enhancement projects.
The partners choose their initiatives with great care so that they will speak to the entire world while
addressing the specific local community.
Florence, 2014 – 2016 Innovation in the service of conservation
Turin, 2014 A new house curtain for the Teatro Regio
Bari, 2013 Franciscan saints and a timeworn well
Padua, 2012 A new light on artistic treasures
Bologna, 2010 The historic university centre
To know more, please visit http://csr.pradagroup.com/en/project/tributes-artistic-heritage/#prada-groupand-
fai
The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and
institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los
Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grants initiatives, it strengthens art history as a global
discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival
collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. It carries out its work in
collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve
maximum effect.
Since its inception in 1984, the Getty Foundation has provided grants to support over 7,000 projects in 180
countries on all seven continents. Among the Foundation’s most prominent recent initiatives was Pacific
Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945–1980, the largest cultural collaboration ever undertaken in the region
culminating in more than 60 related exhibitions on postwar art in Los Angeles that took place across
Southern California in 2011–2012. The newest initiative in this effort is Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, a farreaching
and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles opening
September 2017.
Other Foundation initiatives include: Keeping It Modern, which is advancing the conservation of 20th
century buildings around the world; the Panel Paintings Initiative, which is supporting the next generation
of conservators of paintings on wood and conserving some extremely important works of art; the Online
Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI), which is helping museums face the challenges of moving collections
catalogues online; and Connecting Art Histories, which is bringing together scholars across national
boundaries, especially from regions where economic or political constraints have hampered their research.
In addition, the Foundation supports the Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University,
Graduate Internships at the Getty, and the Multicultural Undergraduate Internship program in Los Angeles
County. For further information about these and other grant programs, visit the Foundation’s website at
www.getty.edu/foundation.
Opera di Santa Croce and National Civil Protection
The relocation of Vasari’s masterpiece to the inner sanctum of Santa Croce is the result of a strong, tenyear
collaboration between “L’Opera” and the Civil Protection Department to achieve activities aimed at
the protection of the cultural heritage in flood-prone cities.
Development of Italian Civil Protection
After the 1980 Irpinia Earthquake, there was a general attempt to overcome the previous method of the
rescue procedure from how it had been structured by a single minister. The former emergency experiences
from the ‘60s and ‘70s showed a general direction towards a Civil Protection System. It is no longer
traceable to a single, speciality technique but, on the contrary, to a combination of several techniques,
including both public and private, volunteers, scientific and last but not least, the local autonomous
government.
In 1982, to manage this complex frame work, the Civil Protection Department was established within the
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri in order to ensure a strong collaboration and supervision not only in
the rescue phase, but also for the Prevision, Prevention, Emergency and during the Recovery of the
threatened communities’ previous condition of life. Thus, in 1992, the Civil Protection Law, entitled
“Establishment of the Civil Protection National Service” was declared. The word “Service” highlights the
management of a coordinated complex system, split up into four responsibility levels based on the
constitutional principle of Subsidiarity: Municipal, Provincial, Regional and National,.
Over the years, this organizational method, interpreted as a “Service”, has proved its efficiency and has
been taken on as a model by other foreign organizations of Civil Protection.
In time, as often occur for organizational experience in both private and public sectors, norms change the
competences, procedures and organizational structures at the central government, regional and local
autonomy levels. No changes, however, involve the basic principle of the 225/92 norm. It defines the Civil
Protection as a complex service that coordinates and decentralizes to identify different decision-making
levels both for prevention and emergency-recovery activities closer to the citizens to protect their private
property and both the collective heritage and the landscape cultural heritage. For these key activities,
during the second half of ‘90s, after Umbria and Marche Earthquake, Italian Civil Protection had also
developed an intense collaboration with MIBAC for the safeguard of Cultural Heritage.
The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze
“We Produce Culture !”
The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze is a bank foundation established in accordance with the socalled
Amato Law (218/90), whose statutory task is to devote its energies to triggering and sustaining
projects and schemes designed to contribute to the development of society and of the community within its
purview. Picking up the legacy of the original Cassa di Risparmio, the Foundation works in Tuscany, focusing
in particular on the area of Florence and on those areas where the bank has traditionally been a presence.
It achieves its statutory goals by using a part of the revenue generated by the management of its assets and
above all, in this new phase, by seeking to foster projects and schemes involving several players working in
the same field and capable of playing a multiplying role in financial and economic terms and in the creation
of jobs.
The Foundation works predominantly in the fields of art, cultural assets and activities, environmental
quality and protection, scientific research and technological innovation, charity and philanthropy, and
growth and training for young people. The Foundation works both with its own projects and by supporting
third-party initiatives allowing it to achieve and to meet its planned goals. It has three instrumental entities
through which it intervenes indirectly in the conservation of environmental and historic heritage, in the
promotion of the region and in the development of financial studies: the Fondazione Parchi Monumentali
Bardini e Peyron [Bardini and Peyron Monumental Parks Foundation]; Tecnologie per i beni culturali e
l’Artigianato (Tema) [Technologies for Cultural Assets and Craftsmanship]; and the Fondazione Cesifin.
Working in conjunction with the Banca CR Firenze, it has also set up the Fondazione Biblioteche della Cassa
di Risparmio di Firenze [Florence Savings Bank Libraries Foundation], and it holds a stake in Intesa Sanpaolo
SpA (2.615 %), in Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA (0.7%) and in Toscana Aeroporti (6.58). It is both a founder and
a supporting member of Florence’s chief cultural institutions, including the Opera di Firenze, the Fondazione
Palazzo Strozzi, the Fondazione Teatro della Toscana, the Accademia dei Georgofili, the Scuola di Musica di
Fiesole and the Museo Novecento.
Our relationship with art and restoration is part and parcel of our history, explains the Foundation’s
President, Umberto Tombari, which is why we could not fail to take part in the restoration of a
masterpiece of the calibre of Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper, though this is only one of our many initiatives
designed to mark the 50th anniversary of the flood back in 1966. Thus we felt it appropriate to direct our
contribution towards an absolutely crucial aspect of the restoration plan which was to make the painting
safe by putting in place a system as simple in construction as it is indisputably effective in execution.
Setting the Foundation’s name on this project, which comes in addition to the many that we have promoted
in this important part of Florence, is a source of pride for the institution and a tangible and concrete token
of our commitment, which we are delighted to offer the city and its community.
Florence, 4 November 2016
Riccardo Galli
Public Relations, Institutional Communications and Press Office Manager
Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze – Via Bufalini, 6
50122 Florence tel. +30.0555384503 cell. +39. 3351597460 -riccardo.galli@entecrf.it
