Cultural trips during the Easter season are a classic: discover with us the such unmissable April events!
Spring is in its prime during the April month, an ideal time for trips both outdoors or in search of the most interesting exhibitions around our beautiful peninsula.
In fact, the weather is not yet so hot to be uncomfortable, making it the most suitable season for cultural-themed trips.
As usual, choosing from the wide variety of events available proves to be a daunting task. However, we would like making things easier for you, so here is a list of the 10 best exhibitions to see this April 2023 in Italy!
10. Vittore Carpaccio. Paintings and drawings
Who better than the painter Vittore Carpaccio could leave evidence of how his Venice was like between 1400 and 1500? The Italian master's major works are on display (starting March 18 is until June 18, 2023) in the fantastic setting of the MUVE (Doge Palace) in the exhibition named, precisely, "Vittore Carpaccio. Paintings and Drawings."
Carpaccio's particularity was precisely his capacity as an artist to fix in paintings the maximum splendor of his city. Indeed, in the 16th century, the Serenissima was a naval power, where trade ensured prosperity and development for its citizens.
In the exhibition organized in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, all of Vittore Carpaccio's most famous works, equally excellent in depicting both sacred and secular subjects, find their place.
Discover more about Doge Palace❯9. Yōkai. The Ancient Japanese Monster Prints
Beginning April 7, Palazzo Pallavicini in Bologna is hosting an exhibition perfect for Japanese folklore fans: Yokai The Ancient Prints of Japanese Monsters.
Lucky visitors are first given the opportunity to relive a special ritual related precisely to the spiritistic presences of Japan. Indeed, it is said that samurai used to gather in a room lit by 100 candles and each of them would tell frightening legends to the others. This was a kind of courage test, because slowly the candles were extinguished as the degree of fear contained in the stories increased.
Hiroshige, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi, Hokusai: these are the Japanese masters whose works can be seen in this evocative exhibition curated by expert Paolo Linetti.
8. Raphael. Born the Architect
Starting in early April, the Palladio Museum in Vicenza is hosting an exhibition with the rather unambiguous title: Raphael the Architect.
The celebrated Renaissance painter, so closely associated with the aesthetic concept of beauty, was also a brilliant architect, as he established important rules related to design that would remain valid for centuries to come.
Original drawings and reproductions from important national and European structures put on display fundamental evidence of Raphael's work, even with regard to projects he failed to realize.
7. Explore. Planet Earth
It may be a necessary exhibition the one starting April 7 at the Palazzo Blu in Pisa: Explore. Planet Earth.
The power of images becomes a fundamental tool to understand and make people realize the profound impact man leaves on the planet, the need to curb indiscriminate exploitation and the evidence of the fragility of an ecosystem that cannot regenerate itself indefinitely. Indeed, special attention is given to the burning issue of extinction.
Curating this very interesting exhibition is the National Geographic Italia director, Marco Cattaneo.
6. Eleanor of Toledo and the invention of the Medici court in Florence
An exhibition dedicated to one of the most important female court figures of the 16th century started already in February and will be open until mid-May. We are talking about the Florence Duchess Eleanor of Toledo.
This incredible woman was a politician, lover of art and fashion, and had (which was very rare for the time) an active role at court.
The exhibition at Palazzo Pitti celebrates all the salient aspects of this interesting figure, gone down in history as the "Grand Lady of the Sixteenth Century."
Discover more about Palazzo Pitti❯5. Saverio Polloni. Animal eye
Artist Saverio Polloni, with his paintings featuring animals immortalized as they look at the viewer, is on display at Milan's Maurizio Nobile art gallery for almost the entire month of April, from 13th to 29th.
Portraits of Animals is a project Polloni has been working on for a long time, starting in 2002. The paintings capture life-size subjects and have the peculiar feature of bringing the visitor face to face with these confident and fascinating animals.
What to see in the eyes of the fifteen chosen animals is an entirely personal matter. The only advice we feel to give you is not missing this peculiar exhibition!
4. Lucio Dalla. The dream of being Neapolitan
Lucio Dalla, the Bolognese singer-songwriter passed away 10 years ago, is being celebrated at the MANN, Archaeological Museum of Naples with an exhibit entitled "Il sogno di essere napoletano" (i.e. "The dream of being Neapolitan").
The display, set up starting March 4 in the museum's prestigious spaces, traces the highlights of the musician's life, and will be open until June 25.
It is a traveling exhibition that has already made stops in Bologna and Rome. This time it is enriched with an extra section: Lucio Dalla's relationship with the Neapolitan capital was unique and special, and for this very reason it deserves a special in-depth look.
An essential exhibit for those loving this artist who so deeply influenced Italian music, really recommended.
3. Elliott Erwitt – Family
He is almost 100 years old, U.S. photographer Elliot Erwitt, and therefore can boast a fair amount of experience regarding the social transformations met by one of the most important institutions at the basis of the human community: family.
And Family is precisely the title of the exhibit occupying the spaces of the Stupinigi hunting lodge in Turin and will remain available to visitors till the end of June.
Black-and-white shots, in the tradition of the now legendary photographer, provide food for thought and unusual family perspectives for a 70-year journey back in time.
2. I Love Legos
Exhibitions, you know, are not only meant for reflection and immersion in important lucubrations, but also made for the simple and pure fun!
So here comes to Palermo the exhibition I Love LEGO, a real love declaration for the historical bricks with which creating incredible worlds.
The chosen venue is the Loggiato San Bartolomeo, where the exhibition will last until June, thus occupying the first half of this 2023.
Dioramas, reinterpretations, miniature universes: in Palermo there is room for the dreams of both young and old alike, but above all, having fun becomes a must!
1. The Ramses Mummy. The immortal pharaoh
It is a such immersive and sensory experience, the one set up at the Near East, Egypt and the Mediterranean Museum at Sapienza University in Rome.
Indeed, you will be able to admire up close the incredible 1:1 scale reconstruction work of the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II, entering a real burial chamber, with the possibility of smelling the real perfumed fragrances that were used in embalming and, with the help of 3D technologies, immerse yourself deeply in the adventurous life of one of Egypt's most famous rulers.
Until mid-June then, ancient history comes alive again!