Italy's art restorers are set to display their world-beating skills to all-comers at an expo in Ferrara later this month.
"Italy has the world's richest art heritage, so our restorers perhaps have an unfair advantage. But they have been acknowledged as leading the world in this field," the organisers said.
Among the recent masterpieces of restoration to be displayed are the seven-year refurbishing of the Savoy royal family's hunting lodge - a lavish palace in the hills above Turin which inspired Louis XIV to create Versailles.
The project - whose fruits were unveiled on Monday - was the largest ever in Italy in terms of sheer size.
Among the other major restorations to be illustrated are Piero della Francesca's True Cross fresco cycle in Arezzo, Bernini's Medusa, Florence's Neptune fountain and Dante's tomb in Ferrara itself.
Lorenzo Ghiberti's Doors of Paradise in Florence, Pinturicchio's Baby Jesus and Giorgio de Chirico's Fountain will also be shown in their renewed splendour, along with a XVth-century Ethiopian illuminated codex.
Italian restorers' craftsmanship is travelling the world, organisers stressed, citing the first Italo-Chinese restoration workshop which will be present at the expo.
Also attending are restorers from Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, eager to match their skills with the Italian masters.
