The Restoration Center of Florence on the twenty years of its existence has not only carried out a series of restoration projects in antiquities but has also functioned as a research center for study of the deterioration of archaeological materials. The success and international reputation of the Center are due not only to its principles and orientation but to its staff and means. Its 3,500 square meters dispose of fully equipped laboratories for restoration, physicochemical and biological analysis and photographic ateliers, where sixty specialists deal annualy with the restoration problems of approximately 2,500 to 3,000 antique metal and ceramic objects. Among the methods invented by the restorers of the Center are two techniques for filling/substituting the missing parts of ceramics and metalwork. Some of the more important restoration work executed at the Center are the Francois Vase, the Pediment of Telamon, the Sarcophagus of the Married Couple of the Louvre and the bronze male statues of Riace. -- AATA