News
A Pristine Mosaic Floor From a Roman Villa Is Uncovered in Italy
In Negrar, archaeologists found evidence of an ancient Roman villa just meters under the earth’s surface.
Italy
In Brief
Uffizi Gallery Director Asks That Religious Art Be Returned to Churches
Eike Schmidt, who has led the museum since 2015, said that "devotional art was not born as a work of art but for a religious purpose."
Art
An Invitation to Get Caught in the Spider's Web
Tomás Saraceno's retrospective exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi gives a closer look at the lives and creations of spiders to reveal how completely ecologies are entangled and spaces are shared with our nonhuman companions.
Art
The Baroque Artist Who Captured the World in Her Still Lifes
Giovanna Garzoni’s tablescape was a map of the world, and she wanted to chart every detail.
Art
Italian Art Workers Release Manifesto Pushing for Systemic Change
Desperate for economic relief and legal protection, a new collective is responding to the government’s negligence and working to address structural problems of the art scene.
Art
The Last Tourist in Assisi
A writer reflects on Giotto, St. Francis, and what it means to have faith amid a pandemic.
In Brief
Amid Lockdown, Optimistic Photos Show Dolphins and Swans Return to Venice
Images from the city show lucid canals and the unprecedented return of wildlife to the city’s waters as gondola traffic has been brought to a halt.
Art
The Layers of History Behind Raphael’s Tapestries at the Sistine Chapel
Standing in the chapel last week, I had the feeling that I was seeing something I would never see again: the Sistine Chapel not just as a complete work of art, but as a complete cultural artifact, restored to its Renaissance appearance for a fleeting moment.
News
Coronavirus Outbreak Shutters Italian Museums; Event Cancellations Continue in China and South Korea
Amid reports on six deaths from the virus, authorities have instructed museums and festivals in Italian cities like Venice, Turin, and Milan to cease their operations for at least a week.
In Brief
Raphael’s Tapestries Unite at Sistine Chapel for the First Time Since the Renaissance
The tapestries — made out of silk, wool, and gold and silver thread — have been restored over the past decade by conservationists at the Vatican Museum.
In Brief
Two Thieves Say They Stole a Gustav Klimt Painting and Returned It Over 20 Years Later
In December 2018, gardeners happened upon the “Portrait of a Lady" painting in a trash bag, concealed in a wall of the Ricci Oddi Modern Art Gallery in Italy.
News
Controversy Boils Over Italian Soccer League's Anti-Racism Campaign Featuring Apes
A campaign to fight racism against Black players in soccer stadiums backfired as it presented controversial images of primates to advance its message of tolerance.