In 1999, the Splendor of Florence event may have done more to put Providence on the map than any single event. Press coverage was global. The success of Joyce Acciaioli Rudge’s first festival in 1999 in Providence became the blueprint for subsequent city-wide festivals in Philadelphia and New York as well as art and photo exhibits throughout the US...

Walking into C. Mariani Antiques feels like stepping into a museum, a gallery or – simply put –  a place full of history, craftsmanship, and beauty. Claudio Mariani welcomes us to his San Francisco showroom wearing what has become his own statement of professionalism and dedication:  black trousers and a blue work apron, with the name of the busine...

Every year, millions of tourists from all over the world visit Italy’s religious sites. Although one needn’t even be religious to appreciate what Italy’s most beautiful churches offer. So from north to south, from monumental-sized structures to tiny churches, here is my list of favorites. Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi, Assisi, Umbria Since 123...

When: Event date: The November 07 2024, 18:00 (Local time) - Place: Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago - For a fee: No Prof. Giuliano De Felice, associate professor at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” presents Uncovering Contemporary Archaeology of Southern Italy.  We often think of Italian archaeological heritage as a series of beautiful site...

When Isabella Dalla Ragione assesses a Renaissance painting, she doesn’t immediately notice the brushstrokes or the magnificence of the imagery. The first thing she notices is the fruit. On a spring day earlier this year, I stride with Dalla Ragione into the National Gallery of Umbria, in a 14th-century stone castle built atop the hillside city of...

In the heart of Florence, a remarkable restoration project is unveiling the secrets of one of art history's greatest masters. The Stories of Saint Francis, painted by Giotto in the Bardi Chapel of Santa Croce, are undergoing a meticulous restoration that won't be completed until summer 2025. However, the project is already yielding fascinating disc...

The Embassy of Italy to the United States, the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation present the exhibition “Mosaico | Italian code of a timeless art”, a multimedia immersive exhibition hosted at Dupont Underground conceived with the artistic and creative direction of Mag...

No name in art sells like Leonardo da Vinci. Even Banksy’s pranks and Damien Hirst’s provocations can’t seem to shake Leonardo’s exalted status in the hearts (and the wallets) of today’s image-consumers. His Mona Lisa alone keeps the Louvre afloat, the highlight of the hasty tours that shuffle visitors through miles of master pieces only to have th...

On a glorious sunny spring day this past May, just before Mother’s Day, a group of Vermont Italian Cultural Association members and our guests gathered at the hilltop gates of Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont. We crowded close together encircling Giuliano Cecchi-nelli, the sole remaining Italian-born stone carver in Barre. Coming from more than 20 g...

After a long and complex restoration that lasted more than four years, funded by SAVE Venice with the support of Dr. & Mrs. Randolph H. Guthrie, the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice will return to display Paolo Veneziano’s masterpiece, the Santa Chiara Polyptych, unveiled to the public and the press on Oct. 4, 2024. The work, displayed in a dedica...