Vita gazette- Michelangelo’s unfinished project, Ponte Farnese, was exhibited in Rome as a bridge spanning the centuries. Farnese comes to life symbolically, with the monumental installation that rises with balloons over the waters of the Tiber.

France initiated the restoration of Palazzo Farnese, which it used as an embassy in Rome. A number of artistic projects have also been put into practice in this process. The first of these studies is the history of the building. Pope Paul III Farnese dreamed of a bridge over the Tiber to connect Palazzo Farnese with the gardens of Villa Farnesina near Ponte Sisto. The bridge project, which was Pope Farnese’s dream, was entrusted to Michelangelo Buonarroti. However, after the artist’s death, the bridge project remained unfinished due to a series of historical events. Today in via Giulia the first arch of the bridge is visible, called “Arco dei Farnese”.

Michelangelo’s dream that becomes reality

The unfinished project of the celebrated Renaissance artist and the dream of Pope Farnese were symbolically completed on 13 July. On the eve of the French national holiday, which coincided with the storm of the Bastille, the work was exhibited, suspended in the air thanks to three large balloons, 18 meters long. The work in the shape of a “flying bridge” suspended in the air, connecting the two sides, was created by the visual artist Olivier Grossetête, resident in Marseille. Volunteers also participated in the project carried out in the laboratory set up in Villa Farnese. The citizens present also supported the final stages of the assembly of the bridge, which took place on the banks of the Tiber. The cardboard used in the construction of Ponte Farnese, on display on the Tiber until 18 July, was then sent for complete recycling. This event, which is a tribute to history and art, was held in collaboration with the French Embassy, ​​the Institut Français Italia, the support of the Webuild group and Villa Farnesina-Accademia dei Lincei.