Bocelli to turn on new Ponte Vecchio lights

Gift from Stefano Ricci on 60th anniversary of fashion centre

(ANSA) - Florence, June 4 - Andrea Bocelli will turn on the Ponte Vecchio's new eco-friendly lighting system on the evening of June 16, Mayor Dario Nardella said Wednesday. The new 'green' lighting from 102 LEDs - a gift from the Stefano Ricci fashion house to mark the 60th anniversary of the city's Fashion Centre - will offer savings of almost 80%, he said.

"This is how we want to work with the private sector," said Nardella, elected last month to succeed Italian Premier Matteo Renzi. The Tuscan tenor will flip the switch to the accompaniment of an "acquatic spectacle" on the Arno beneath the iconic bridge, performed by the French art troupe Iliotopie and sponsored by Italian banking giant Unicredit.