An Italian wine dynasty will restore Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Antinori's announcement

by Divina Vitale

2024 represents a special year for the Antinori family, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tignanello, the historic Supertuscan known worldwide. The wine that encapsulated the spirit of Chianti Sangiovese with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc. Among the best-selling wines globally, it is an icon of Italian winemaking craftsmanship and even more so of Made in Tuscany. At a press conference attended by the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, the entire Antinori family announced their participation in the conservative restoration of one of the city's symbolic monuments, Ponte Vecchio. In particular, the Antinori family will oversee the broader restoration project, supporting the part related to the bridge's façades. The work will start in October of this year and will finish after 2026.

Antinori will restore Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

"The history of our family has always been closely linked to the city of Florence since the 13th century," explained Piero Antinori, Honorary President of Marchesi Antinori, "a city that has given us so much over the centuries, which is why we are particularly pleased to be part of this important project. The 50 years of Tignanello are the perfect opportunity to support the Municipality of Florence in this new conservation project for Ponte Vecchio, a symbol of the city of Florence in the world and a source of pride for all of us Florentines."
Built in the first half of the 14th century and subject to various refurbishments and consolidations over the centuries, Ponte Vecchio had never before received conservative restoration interventions aimed at its aesthetic enhancement. The amount of the work is €2 million. The works will involve the restoration of the original materials of all the elements present such as rings, façades, arches, piles, shoulders, wing walls, paving, and parapets in the two central squares, in order to guarantee their conservation over time. At the same time, works will be carried out to improve the management of stormwater.

"A bridge," added Mayor Nardella, "that has resisted floods, fires, and the Nazi-Fascist invasion. Now, for the first time in its centuries-old history, it will undergo a complex restoration operation that will allow its complete valorization. Ponte Vecchio obviously has no stability problems, it is solid and anchored, but it suffers from the typical ailments of any outdoor structure, subject to weather phenomena and river floods. It is a historic project because Ponte Vecchio has never had a restoration intervention of this technical complexity. In the end, we will have a bridge even more beautiful than we are used to seeing it. I deeply thank the Antinori family for this special gift they wanted to give to Florence: it is thanks to the sensitivity and generosity of these gestures that public and private together can take care of the city's artistic and historical heritage." A great intervention to pay tribute to a great wine, this is Antinori's will.

Tenuta Tignanello covers 319 hectares of land, with approximately 130 hectares of vineyards between the valleys of Greve and Pesa. The two reference vineyards are Tignanello and Solaia. Since the 1970s, it has been a sort of "laboratory" for the viticultural experiments of the Marchesi Antinori, with the introduction of renewed winemaking techniques and new grape varieties. Innovations in planting density or Sangiovese selection practices have always aimed to obtain grapes with greater concentration and characterized by soft tannins.