An article on the restoration of the gilded and painted wood Chariot of fire . The traditional festival of the scoppio del carro (the explosion of the chariot), celebrated on Easter morning in front of the cathedral of Florence (Italy), has its roots in the ancient liturgy of the blessing of the sacred fire during the Easter vigil. Originally the chariot carried a coal- filled brazier. In its present form the chariot goes back to the end of the 16th, beginning of the 17th centuries, but it has undergone a number of changes. Restoration involved consolidation of the structure with BY/158 resin and HY 2992 hardener, reconstruction of deteriorated wood and treatment of metalwork with oxide-converters. Insect-repellant treatment was applied with sprays and injections of imprasand F and R510 was applied as fireproofing. Past maintenance operations involving the use of vegetable varnishes, linen oil and stained waxes had hidden the brilliant blue, red, gold and silver colours under a dark brown patina. This was removed with solvent gels and the silver on the coats of arms and dolphins decorating the top was cleaned with chloroform and, in parts, scalpels to remove a thin layer of gesso, glue and oil. The decorative masks were cleaned and re-gilded and the silverwork replated.