An extensive program of restorations is involving and will involve the monuments and buildings in Florence’s Piazza del Duomo, including Giotto’s Campanile, the Eugenian College, and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. As the president of theOpera di Santa Maria del Fiore, Luca Bagnoli, explained, this is an investment of more than 60 million euros earmarked for work on these three buildings.
Restoration work on Giotto’s Campanile will begin on March 9, 2026, with an estimated duration of about four years and a cost of more than 7 million euros, entirely borne by the Opera. The initial phase will involve the erection of the scaffolding, which will take about four months and is expected to be completed in mid-July. The structure, conceived as a highly engineered and unique work of its kind, is designed to minimize external visual impact, allow visitors to maintain full view of the monument, and not interfere with the internal route or access to the viewing terrace. The scaffolding system will allow the project to proceed in phases, starting at the top and progressively descending downward. At the end of each phase, the structure will be moved further down, so as to continue the intervention and make the already restored part visible to the public. A site area will be set up at ground level, which will be larger in size during the erection of the scaffolding and smaller in the operational phase of the work. This is the first time that Giotto’s Campanile has undergone an overall restoration: in the past there have been several interventions, documented since 1939, but limited to individual portions of the structure. The new restoration, which will begin once the installation of the scaffolding is complete, was deemed urgent and can no longer be postponed in order to ensure the safety of the monument, which is currently marked by significant deterioration of the exterior surfaces in white, Verde di Prato and red Cintoia marble, with critical issues particularly evident in the protruding elements of the upper terrace, such as the corbels, and in the decorative apparatus.
By the end of February, on the other hand, the restoration site of the historic Eugenian College, located on Via dello Studio, destined to become the main headquarters of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, will be completed. Offices and the company canteen will be moved here by June 2026. Restoration of the building, also fully financed by the Opera to the tune of 13 million euros, began in September 2023. The building, measuring about 1,600 square meters, is composed of two bodies: the oldest dates back to the 14th century and was built by the Florentine Republic to house the Studium Generalis, the first Florentine university; the second core, built in the early 17th century, was created to house the community of the Scolopian Fathers, who arrived in Florence in those years and were engaged in the education of less affluent boys.
Work on the expansion of the Opera del Duomo Museum is also proceeding on schedule. The acquisition in 2023 of the nearby Palazzo Compagni will allow the museum to grow from its current 6,000 square meters to about 11,000, offering a more coherent and functional exhibition itinerary and indispensable new spaces, including areas for temporary exhibitions, a hall for meetings and conferences, a cafeteria with garden and additional services for visitors.
Restoration work needed to adapt the building to the new museum rooms began in 2023 and will be completed in 2030. The expansion project was entrusted by the Opera to the firm Guicciardini & Magni Architetti, which together with Adolfo Natalini had already designed the current museum. The total investment for the institution, including both the purchase of the palace and the creation of the new museum route, is estimated at 39 million euros, to which will be added the costs for the restoration of the works that will join those already housed in the current museum.
“The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore is investing more than 60 million euros for these three construction sites alone,” says Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore President Luca Bagnoli. “Alongside the purpose of conservation and restoration of the monumental complex of Florence Cathedral there is also the assumption of both cultural and social responsibility for the city’s building heritage. On the one hand, the purchase of Palazzo Compagni and the recovery of the Eugenian College has made it possible to remove these buildings from the speculative real estate market. The relocation of the Opera’s headquarters to the Eugenian College will free up about 1,500 square meters of space that will allow for the construction of 17 residential and commercial (offices and stores) properties. The Opera has long pursued, alongside a cultural and tourist vocation - witnessed by 1.4 million visitors and numerous events held, as amply reported in the sustainability report published on the website - a well-established real estate policy aimed at protecting the presence of residents in the historic center. In this, the Opera is willing to make further investments, this time of a patrimonial nature, and in particular to consider the purchase of other historic buildings in the city for housing.”
The Opera’s website has a page dedicated to restoration sites with constant updates: https://duomo.firenze.it/it/897/i-cantieri-e-i-restauri
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| Florence, Giotto's Campanile restoration kicks off: the first time it has undergone comprehensive restoration |
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