(By Massimo Lomonaco) (ANSA) – Tel Aviv, October 6 – A film by Tommaso Santi on the ongoing restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by Prato-based firm Piacenti has been presented in Tel Aviv.
The movie called “Restaurare il cielo”, or restoring the sky, on Wednesday night was screened at the Italian cultural institute in Tel Aviv directed by Massimo Sarti, showing for the first time to the Israeli public – usually unable to travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank – the different phases of renovation being carried out by one of the top firms in the sector.
Safeguarding cultural heritage is “a priority for Italy”, said Italian ambassador to Italy, Francesco Maria Talò, at the presentation.
The firm’s president, Giammarco Piacenti, called it an historic renovation by Italian experts in one of the holiest sites of Christianity.
Piacenti noted after the screening that the ongoing work not only required technical know-how but also the ability to manage a complex restoration in a volatile region.
Talò noted at the event that Italy has protected cultural heritage sites in Iraq and Afghanistan and “is ready to do it wherever there will be an occasion”, citing the creation of Italian task force ‘Unite4Heritage’, the “blue helmets of culture”.

Read the complete article on ansa.it