SALONE DELL’ARTE E DEL RESTAURO DI FIRENZE

11-13 November 2010, Stazione Leopolda

From the 11th to the 13th November Florence will host its second Salone dell’Arte e del Restauro (Art and Restoration Fair) at the Stazione Leopolda Exhibition Centre. The Fair will be a showcase dedicated to everybody working in the sector and through sharing knowledge and know-how people will be able to interact and communicate with the aim of working towards the consolidation of our country's strong image in the production of works of art, training young people, conservation, restoration and the promotion of cultural and environmental heritage. This year, the fair will be the first event of the Settimana Internazionale dei Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici di Firenze (Florens 2010), 10 days of exhibitions and conferences on the protection and promotion of international cultural and environmental heritage.

The Salone dell’Arte e del Restauro di Firenze has the Patronage of the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali, Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Pontificia Commissione per i Beni Culturali della Chiesa, Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l’UNESCO, the CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, ICOMOS Comitato Nazionale Italiano, ENIT, Confcultura, FAI - Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano, Regione Toscana, Provincia di Firenze, Comune di Firenze, Camera di Commercio di Firenze, Università degli Studi di Firenze and it is organised in collaboration with the Arts Councils and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and Restoration Laboratories, the Consiglio Regionale della Toscana, CNA, Confartigianato and many other important organisations.

The Salone has a prestigious Technical-Scientific and Executive Committee, which acts as an indispensable guide and critical conscience for all the scientific, technical and cultural events (exhibitions, seminars, workshops etc.) being held during the three days of the Fair. The Committee is a unique element of the Fair which distinguishes it from other events of this kind but above all it guarantees exhibitors and visitors an exclusive event with the highest possible technical, scientific and cultural standards .

Florence has long been known as a Capital of Culture and a City of Art and Restoration and it is home to the largest percentage of organisations, companies, publishing houses, schools and restorers in Italy and in the world. The Opificio delle Pietre Dure and various other important institutions have always attracted international notice. The catchment area of the province of Florence alone will guarantee a higher number of participants at the event than any other recorded figure for similar occasions.

Participating in the Fair does not just mean being part of a large international showcase of art and restoration, it also means joining forces create a new direction for the future of conservation, restoration and promotion of artistic, cultural and environmental heritage.

At the 2009 edition of the Fair we achieved the following results: 141 exhibitors, 3 thematic exhibitions, 120 cultural events organised by the exhibitors and 17,800 visitors.

The Fair aims to open its doors to the public and involve high profile international partners; this has led to an important twinning agreement with FIRPA - Cultural Heritage and Restoration Fair in Granada, Spain, which will allow our Florentine Fair to have a significant presence at the Spanish event in 2011 in a specially dedicated area. Following the same strategy, we are in the process of establishing more partnerships so Florence can be present on an international stage; we also have agreements in place with ICE Istituto del Commercio Estero and with the International Relations office of the Municipality of Florence paving the way for even more international exchanges.

In 2010 the publicity campaign has been redoubled to raise the profile of the event, involving both existing networks and the Corriere del Salone, a free tabloid format newspaper distributed in 20,000 copies during the Fair. After being very well received in 2009, the Fair will once again have laboratories for practical demonstrations of products and techniques, with the new addition of a teaching and learning space for children and young people to inform the next generation about the problems we face in the conservation and restoration of our cultural heritage. More information about all our activities can be found at www.salonerestaurofirenze.org.