The 2017 edition of the Salone del Restauro in Ferrara has just ended. The event, the most important of its kind in Italy, plays a leading role at an international level. Inside, museums, institutions, restoration operators and companies in the sector meet. The aim is to sum up the latest excellent restorations, but above all to talk about innovation. In fact, every year new products and new technologies are presented at the service of restoration. It must be said that a large part of this innovation bears the “Made in Italy” brand. In fact, in no other country in the world there is a tradition of restoration as in Italy.
The inauguration of the Salone del Restauro
The Salone del Restauro was inaugurated on Wednesday 22 March with the intervention of Minister Dario Franceschini. One of the issues touched upon was that relating to the Casa Italia decree. We are talking about the plan for the anti-seismic adaptation of historic buildings, a sadly current issue after the terrible earthquakes of the past year.
A unique opportunity for museums and companies to meet
The Salone del Restauro is also an opportunity for over 5000 people to meet Italian museums and all the new proposals in the field of exhibition and conservation. Among other things, we talked about lighting technology, climatology, software, hospitality, catering, bookshop and merchandising, set-ups, transport of works of art, archiving and cataloging.
The public and the major restorations
But the Salone del Restauro is not just an event dedicated to professionals. The event is aimed more and more at the general public every year. Thanks to the participation of the two major Italian institutions in the field of conservation, it was possible to show the public how the restoration of a work of art takes place. These are the Central Institute of Restoration and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Visitors had the rare opportunity to witness all stages of the restoration of some very important works. Among others we mention Raphael's “The Madonna of the Implanted”, Rubens's “Madonna della cesta”, two works by Beato Angelico and a panel by Simone Martini.
The foreign presence
Foreign bodies and institutions also participated in the event. An example of this is the participation of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, which exhibited interesting conservation projects as well as workshops. But the countries of Georgia, Turkey and Brazil also participated, presenting innovative projects in the field of architectural restoration of the twentieth century.
The importance of restoration in Italy
The conservation of works of art in Italy is of primary importance for several reasons. The first reason is the preservation of our history and our roots. The physiognomy of a people in fact depends on its history. Every Italian carries millennia of art and culture in his DNA and this is possible thanks to the stupendous masterpieces present everywhere in our cities and which, at times, we don't even notice anymore. These works of art are like a school for the soul, a constant inspiration. But what if this heritage falls apart and disappears? How would we Italians change if we could no longer access this huge encyclopedia of history?
The first industry of Italy
The second reason for the primary importance of restoration in Italy is to be found in tourism. It is not new that the tourism sector is by far the leading industry in Italy. Or if you like, the first and most important economic resource. We must therefore ask ourselves why so many people from all over the world decide to come to Italy to spend their holidays. Could it be for the food? Will it be for the sun or for the sea? Maybe, but these are all factors that can also be found in other countries. What truly makes our country unique is art. Without art there would be no tourism and without tourism Italy could not hold up. In a certain sense, we Italians live on art.
