The 86 meter high scaffolding has been completed, the restoration of Giotto’s Bell Tower is underway

The restoration of the monument, under the high supervision of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Florence and the provinces of Prato and Pistoia, which will have an estimated duration of 5 years and a cost of over 7 million euros, entirely financed by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore.

It is the first time that Giotto’s Bell Tower has undergone a restoration in its entirety, both externally and internally: in the past there have been numerous interventions, documented starting from 1939, but relating only to parts of the monument. The restoration intervention was necessary and could not be postponed to make the Bell Tower safe, characterized by a strong deterioration of the external covering surfaces (white, Verde di Prato and red Cintoia marble), particularly evident in the projecting elements of the summit terrace and in the decorative elements.

During the construction of the restoration site of Giotto’s Bell Tower, in agreement with Lipu and sector experts, the Opera adopted special measures to safeguard the nesting of birds and in particular the pair of peregrine falcons which have settled on the monuments of the Florence Cathedral since the mid-2000s. Since the reproductive cycle of this species coincided with the time frame of construction of the site, it was decided to create a photographic mapping of all 149 pontoon holes of the Campanile to verify the presence of nests. Thanks to this monitoring, a female was identified brooding inside a potting hole located at the top of the west side. The Opera then rescheduled the assembly of the scaffolding so as not to disturb reproduction, allowing the hatching to be successful with the birth of three chicks which, once grown, took flight.

The project for the restoration of Giotto’s Bell Tower is based on a multidisciplinary vision that integrates structural engineering with the most advanced monitoring and safety technologies.

“The objective was to create a construction site that did not alter the static balance of Giotto’s Bell Tower and did not hide its beauty – explains Samuele Caciagli, head of the Technical Office of the Opera and Works – using materials and equipment designed to be fully recovered and reused on future construction sites”.

The technological heart of the structure consists of the Layher modular steel scaffolding system, selected for its extraordinary flexibility and ability to adapt to the variable geometries and protrusions of the Bell Tower. Unlike traditional tube and joint systems, this solution allows the creation of work surfaces perfectly calibrated to the needs of restorers, offering maximum ergonomics and allowing operators to move freely and safely.

“The restoration intervention is aimed at conserving and safeguarding the integrity of the monument, through a careful preliminary phase of knowledge, survey and diagnostics, states Beatrice Agostini, head of the Restoration Office of the Opera. The activities will be oriented towards confirming the project carried out and therefore degradation phenomena such as chromatic alterations, surface deposits, encrustations and black crusts, verifying the crack pattern and any structural problems, as well as the specific definition of operational methodologies differentiated according to the materials and specific conservation conditions” (by Paolo Martini)