Special events and guided tours to discover these Italian monuments during the holidays and on the weekends in January

The new Institute of the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia (VIVE), headed by Edith Gabrielli, unites two of Italy’s most symbolic, most visited museums and heritage sites, integral parts of the collective imagination. VIVE is offering an event programme packed with special openings and kid-friendly experiences for children and families from 26 December 2021 to 9 January 2022 and beyond. Starting 2 January 2022, these activities will be complemented by new guided tours on the weekends.

‘The Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia are in the very heart of Rome, the Italian capital’, explained Gabrielli, General Director of VIVE. Over the past few months, we have continued to register the affection and interest of the public, through numbers that are truly remarkable. The holidays are also a chance to reaffirm two values that are essential to the museum: accessibility and inclusion. Still today, these two buildings represent our past and our identity as Italian and European citizens. For this reason, learning about VIVE, i.e., the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, also means learning even more about ourselves.’

From 26 to 30 December 2021, coinciding with the special evening opening hours (until 10:30 pm), visitors with an admission ticket to VIVE can also join four different guided tours in Italian and English to discover famous and less famous aspects of the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, in the splendour of their night-time illumination. (Subject to availability)

One palace, one hundred stories. Fascinating facts about Palazzo Venezia
Behind the building’s austere façade is a fascinating past that never ceases to amaze guests and visitors. From papal residence to embassy of the Serenissima, from concert venue for Mozart to a museum, the palace rooms hide countless stories and characters that our visit will try to retrace.

Palazzo Venezia: art and architecture from the 15th to the 20th century
Among the dazzle of the large chandeliers, we will enter the halls and rooms of the apartments to discover the frescoes, floors and marble decorations created for the papal residence, without neglecting the twentieth-century restorations that gave the building its current look.

The Vittoriano: symbolism and meaning in the Italian national monument
The imagery of the Altar of the Fatherland is rich with complex symbols and meaning. This tour will explain their hidden messages and elaborate iconography, but most importantly it will take a look at the elements and symbols that form the basis of Italian national identity.

Sculptors and sculpture of the Vittoriano. From Classicism to Art Nouveau, art and propaganda in Italy’s capital city
The sculptures of the Vittoriano extend outward from the massive bulk of the monument to reach for the sky: each figure, seen from close up, reveals the delicacy of Italian Art Nouveau, in perfect harmony with constant references to Classicism. On this evening visit, guests will admire these works of art in a different light and learn more about the artists who created them.

From 28 December 2021 to 9 January 2022 children and adults alike will enjoy the dense programme of free, family-friendly animated tours and special events offered by VIVE, including tours in Italian sign language, to actively get to know and engage with two of Italy's most famous monuments.

VIVE in a map
A hanging garden, a market, a giant stage, and even a traffic divider: browse the map of Piazza Venezia. Whether real or imaginary, it’s always like looking at an illustrated history book. A journey through the Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Venezia and the modernity of the Vittoriano, to discover the historical and artistic events that have transformed these places into true icons. Together, we’ll create a family emotion map, where we’ll render visible the details, colours, themes and impressions that most captured our attention.

Postcards from Palazzo Venezia
A special tour to discover Palazzo Venezia through storytelling designed especially for children and adults. We’ll head out on a journey through time, passing through gardens, arcades and monumental halls; we’ll imagine what life was like in the palace over the centuries through art, music and literature; and, like travellers of bygone eras, visitors can create colourful illustrated postcards in which to reinvent the places explored on the tour.

The art and architecture of the Vittoriano
A symbol of unified Italy and, later, of the Italian Republic, the Vittoriano is a symbolic place for the collective imagination. Conceived of as an avant-garde artistic building, a sort of new, modern forum, the Altar of the Fatherland has also been the backdrop to countless films and television programmes. This exciting visit will explore the large spaces of the Vittoriano, retracing its history and discovering similarities and differences with the art and architecture of the past. Like a puzzle, participants can graphically re-work the iconic structure, inspired by the creative eye of artists and architects.

Reservations are recommended for all animated tours: vi-ve.edu@cultura.gov.it

Starting 2 January, every Saturday afternoon and every Sunday, 6 guided tours in Italian and English will be offered. The following tours will continue: One palace, one hundred stories. Fascinating facts about Palazzo Venezia; Palazzo Venezia. Art and architecture from the 15th to 20th century; Sculptors and sculpture of the Vittoriano. From Classicism to Art Nouveau: art and propaganda in Rome; and the Vittoriano: symbolism and meaning in the Italian national monument. Moreover, two guided tours will be added.

One for all: the Unknown Soldier
This tour focuses on the Altar of the Fatherland and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, two key elements of the Vittoriano that are also fundamental to Italian national identity. Visitors will learn about the events that led up to their creation, from the law on the fallen individual and the selection of the remains, to the entombment ceremony and the realisation of the Tomb.

The Central Museum of the Risorgimento
Through unique objects and relics that illustrate events and historical figures, the museum makes it possible to retrace the steps of Italian independence and unity from the end of the 18th century to the First World War. It’s a journey into memory and also a must-attend tour for history buffs.

Reservations are recommended for all guided tours: vi-ve.visite@cultura.gov.it