Roman strolls at the Maxxi in Rome: a spectacular homage to the Eternal City by Dante Ferretti

A walk through the centuries among the hidden wonders of the Eternal City. A journey through time in the streets of Rome between past and present, among ancient mosaics, eighteenth-century views and contemporary works of art. Until 10 November at the Maxxi in Rome is on stage "Passeggiate romane" (Roman Walks), an exhibition that borrows the title of Stendal's 1829 book of the same name and is inspired by Alberto Moravia's "Racconti romani" (1954) and "Roma sospesa fra passato e futuro" (Rome suspended between past and future), a 2022 volume by Jhumpa Lahiri, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for fiction, born in London to immigrant parents from West Bengal, who has been living in the United States for years. A scenographic setting of streets, squares and Roman atmospheres signed by three-time Oscar winner Dante Ferretti with works and exhibits from three institutions in the capital: the Borghese Gallery, the National Gallery and the Capitoline Museums.

"The Maxxi now embraces the capital's sister institutions," explained Alessandro Giuli, former president of the Maxxi Foundation and current Minister of Culture, at the inauguration, "and welcomes timeless masterpieces into its futuristic spaces, as eternal as the city to which this exhibition is dedicated. A fortunate dialogue, to which we add a third voice, that of the cinema, which represents one of the most fervent expressions of our country's cultural richness. We are honoured to be able to add to the list of those who have lent their genius to our Museum the name of Dante Ferretti, a master whose art contributes to making Italy's name great in the world'.

"When I was contacted by the Maxxi to set the exhibition Passeggiate romane (Roman Walks)," said Dante Ferretti, "I immediately realised that I would finally have the chance to realise an idea about Rome that I have had in mind for a long time. Rome-Art, this union is one of my recurring thoughts in recent years so much so that I have even dedicated a series of paintings to it that are in my studio in Cinecittà. Rome is art, Rome and art, art in Rome. Hence the idea that the Passeggiate Romane are not necessarily routes inside a museum but that they are walks in a street, a square, a characteristic glimpse of that open-air work of art that is our capital'. And without neglecting Rome's problems. "For us Romans, one of these is that of waste, which has become so 'normalised' in the lives of citizens that it has become a characteristic feature of beautiful Rome! So in the street in the centre of Rome that I have recreated for the exhibition we will find bars, trattorias, ancient Roman ruins, shops and even the ubiquitous litter bins and buckets full of rubbish. Without in any way detracting from the beauty of this Roman street'.

The famous museum designed by archistar Zaha Hadid has been transformed into a large set. Alongside Roman views, streets, squares, arches and walls, one can admire works by Giuseppe Capogrossi, Giorgio De Chirico, Gino De Dominicis and Luigi Ontani, next to Canaletto and Roman sculptures and mosaics from the Capitoline Museums. Amidst streets, trattorias and rubbish bins Dante Ferretti has reconstructed Roman atmospheres, where art and environment interact and propose new perspectives. "Passeggiate Romane," explained Francesco Stocchi, artistic director of the Maxxi, "is an unprecedented exhibition format, a film set as a setting to celebrate a universal dialogue between the arts. Thanks to the collaboration with Galleria Borghese, the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Capitoline Museums, the exhibition project presents a supra-historical perspective so characteristic of the city of Rome. In a dynamic reading of the spaces, Passeggiate Romane is a layered narrative that offers the possibility of enjoying works of our artistic heritage that are not normally visible to the public".

Roman Walks
Maxxi Museum in Rome
Until 10 November 2024