After the resounding success of the extended evening hours and guided tours from late December to early January, the dense programme of activities at the new Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia Institute (VIVE), with Edith Gabrielli as the General Manager, is being enriched by a series of weekend events that will offer visitors of all ages a fresh perspective of one of Italy’s most characteristic museums.
Every weekend in January, VIVE is hosting educational events designed especially for families and children with the goal of sharing new ways to see the city and its monuments through original descriptions of them and their transformations.
Two new modules will be added to the current roster of tours:
Eight wonders at Palazzo Venezia
Porcelain, silverware, majolica, bronze statuettes, the Sala del Mappamondo, an armoury and even a Sea Monster: the spaces of the Museum of Palazzo Venezia, like many cabinets of curiosities, contain applied art objects from all over the world. A journey to discover that each collection is often the mirror of the collector's tastes but also of an era, a mentality and a common feeling, yesterday as today. Participants can create a ‘private collection’ of their own, deciding what to keep, what to add and how to display the pieces in the space available.
Red shirts and horsehair tails
A journey to learn about the life and challenges of some of the protagonists of the Risorgimento, the Kingdom of Italy and the Republic, from Mazzini and Garibaldi to the cuirassiers. A lively story will accompany adults and children inside the Vittoriano, to discover colours, symbols and curiosities related to the uniforms of those who, over time, have defended and still defend our homeland. A very particular history of costume, which intertwines history, popular mythology and ideals on which we should still reflect today. As part of a special educational activity, participants can dress famous historical personalities by inventing original uniforms.
In addition, the following guided tours will continue:
VIVE in a map
A hanging garden, a market, a gigantic stage, even a traffic divider: leafing through the real and imagined maps of Piazza Venezia is like looking at an illustrated history book. A journey through the late medieval architecture of Palazzo Venezia and the modernity of the Vittoriano to discover the historical and artistic events which transformed these places into true icons and to create a family emotional map, where the details, colours, styles and impressions that most capture one’s attention during the tour are rendered visible.
Postcards from Palazzo Venezia
A special itinerary dedicated to discovering Palazzo Venezia through an animated narration designed specifically for adults and children together. 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 times past, visitors can create colourful illustrated postcards in which to reinvent the places explored on the tour.
The art and architecture of the Vittoriano over the years
A symbol of unified Italy and, later, of the Italian Republic, the Vittoriano is a symbolic place for the collective imagination. Born as an avant-garde art project, a new modern forum, it then served as the backdrop for countless films and television programmes. A suggestive visit to explore the great spaces of the Vittoriano together, to retrace its history and discover 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. Email to book: vi-ve.edu@cultura.gov.it
VIVE's programme of guided tours for visitors of all ages continues for all of January, every Saturday afternoon and every Sunday. Six different tours, offered in Italian and in English, will explore famous and less-known aspects of the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia.
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 La 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.
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.
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.
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. Email to book: vi-ve.visite@cultura.gov.it
