ANTIQUITY V. MODERNITY

An integrity restoration is a restoration that requires a complete replacement of a piece. For example, cold temperatures from the winter have caused pieces of marble to fall completely off the structure.

A conservative restoration is necessary when the bottega determines that a piece is becoming weak and needs work to prevent it from falling away.

"The goal in restoring is to make the restoration so similar to the original that it is difficult or impossible for even an expert eye to be able to tell the difference between the two," Colle said.

In order to achieve this level of detail the bottega uses white, green and red marble from the duomo's original source mines whenever possible.

All of the white marble used for restoration is still taken from the Carrara mines where the marble used for Michelangelo's David was taken, Colle said, referring to the location of the original marble for the duomo's construction.

Green marble, on the other hand, has been difficult to obtain because the cave of Prato has been closed. The cave's supply of marble had been exhausted, and further mining threatened ecological harm, Colle said. It has also been difficult for the bottega to find another mine that can match the duomo's green color.

"Red marble is still taken from the same various Tuscan and northern Italy marble caves that it was taken from originally," Colle said.

As for cleanings, a section of the duomo facade is selected every year to be cleaned. The incredible acreage represented by the duomo's exterior requires this perpetual maintenance and upkeep.

The scaffolding and construction visible all around Calledrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is a fixture of Florence's cityscape. The work of the duomo is never done.

Editor's note: Marcello de Colle's interview was translated by Laura Lamponi of Scuola Lorenzo de'Medici. FlorenceNow thanks Ms. Lamponi for her help.