Published on Thursday, October 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A fisherman from the tiny village of Talamone, Paolo Fanciulli, has installed an underwater museum to protect marine life and entertain divers. Twenty-nine Carrara marble sculptures in two locations off the Tuscan coast sit at the bottom of the sea, making up this unique art installation. On land nearby, 18 more sculptures sit in a field, waiting for Fanciulli to rais...

Published on Friday, September 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In 2020, Palazzo Pitti will highlight the link between Florentine nobility and the Russian Orthodox Church by displaying 78 Russian religious icons. The collection of icons, the largest outside of Russia, will be housed in four ground-floor rooms at Palazzo Pitti. This will be the first permanent home for the collection, which has been in Florence since 1761 and ha...

Published on Thursday, June 6, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In a 10th-century castle in northwest Italy’s Piedmont region, wine enthusiasts can get a taste of the area’s incredibly famous wine and its history. The Barolo Wine Museum (WiMu) is dedicated to the historical and cultural significance and evolution of wine consumption across Europe, and was designed by Francois Confino of Switzerland. Exhibits, spread over 2...

Published on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 by Kathy McCabe To combat Islamophobia and celebrate ancient Middle Eastern culture, two Florence museums have teamed up to stage an exhibit on Islamic art and the reciprocal relationship between Florence and Islam. The exhibit, titled “Islamic Art and Florence from the Medici to the 20th Century,” runs through Sept. 23 at the Uffizi Gallery and the Bargello Museum, showcasing 25...

Published on Monday, August 13, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Italian Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli announced in a press conference that Italy will end the Domenica al Museo (“Sunday at the Museum”) program, no longer offering free admission to state museums as of this fall. Currently, approximately 480 state museums are free to everyone on the first Sunday of the month. The change will affect popular sites such as P...

Published on Sunday, June 10, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Earlier this month, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence debuted its “Raphael and Michelangelo Room” as part of a larger rearrangement of the museum. Housed in Room 41 of the building, the Raphael and Michelangelo Room – as one might expect – contains paintings from the two Renaissance masters. Two paintings by Raphael dating to 1404-05 – portraits of a Floren...

Published on Friday, March 9, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Giotto’s painting Madonna di San Giorgio alla Costa hasn’t been on public display in 25 years, until now, as it has moved to the Opera del Duomo Museum in the Duomo Cathedral complex in Florence. The tempera and gold painting depicts the Madonna as a queen, holding the Christ Child, with two angels and is considered one of the most representative paintings of the...

Published on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Venice is gearing up to celebrate Tintoretto’s 500th birthday all year, with the main event on Sept. 7. The painter, whose real name was Jacopo Robusti, was born in Venice in 1518, though his exact birthdate is unknown. The months-long celebration will include special events around the city in honor of the artist and his paintings, which can be seen in several Venet...

Published on Monday, December 11, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Rome’s popular 13th emperor is getting a new exhibit detailing his life and legacy, in time for the 1900th anniversary of his death. Trajan, who ruled the Roman Empire from 98 to 117 A.D., was referred to as the optimus princeps (the best ruler) by the senate at the time. He is most known for his military victories in the expansion of the Roman Empire to its largest...

Published on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Almost two years after its renovation and reopening, the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence is employing a creative strategy to attract visitors. Drawing upon an idea put forth by its director, Monsignor Timothy Verdon, the museum is looking at religious artworks in a re-created religious environment, exploring the messaging that motivated artists in a way that ...