The nonprofit has funded more than 450 restoration projects to safeguard Renaissance masterpieces.
For 25 years, Friends of Florence has worked to conserve and protect the city’s priceless art and architecture, raising millions of dollars to restore works that have endured centuries of wear, natural disasters and neglect.
Founded to safeguard Florence’s cultural legacy, the nonprofit has supported projects in major museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Galleria dell’Accademia — home to Michelangelo’s David — and the Cathedral Museum del Duomo. It has also funded restorations in churches and public spaces across Tuscany.
“Time really deteriorates works of art,” said Simonetta Brandolini, president of Friends of Florence. “We basically are here to conserve, protect, safeguard the art and culture of Florence and Tuscany.”
The organization relies on skilled artisans and conservators, many considered among the best in the world. Their work is painstaking and slow; restoring a single piece can take years. “My desire is to deeply understand the soul of the artist,” said Sandra Pucci, a conservator of paintings.
Museum director Timothy Verdon praised the group’s impact: “They have intervened to make it possible for those of us who live here who
love this city to continue to present these masterpieces to visitors in their most beautiful form. They are the new patrons of the Renaissance.”
Since its founding, Friends of Florence has completed more than 450 projects, restoring sculptures, paintings, frescoes and architectural details throughout the region. Brandolini called the effort “enormous” and “infinite,” noting the pride donors take in preserving “one of the real masterpieces of all time.”