January 19, 2023
"Roma Silenziosa Bellezza” photo exhibit opens to public. Unparalleled images of Eternal City during 2020 lockdown
An immersive multimedia journey Accompanied by video mapping on Palazzo Venezia façade
Exhibit promoted, organised by Webuild and VIVE Institute. From January 20 to February 28, 2023
ROME, January 19, 2023 – An unprecedented visit of the sites of the Eternal City, bringing back the wonder of rediscovering the Italian capital in its truest and most intense beauty. It is a visit offered by “” (Rome Silent Beauty), an exhibit promoted and organised by the Webuild Group and the VIVE - Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia institute with the support of the City of Rome. It will be held in the Zanardelli Hall of the Vittoriano until February 28. The exhibit will be inaugurated today by Webuild Chief Executive Pietro Salini and VIVE Director Edith Gabrielli.
With images taken by photographer Moreno Maggi during the months of lockdown in 2020, this free exhibit presents the public a Rome that is different from how it is used to living and seeing it. It shows a city that is extraordinarily beautiful in the silence of those months. By showing public places that are normally filled with traffic and people, they present the city in its truest, immutable self, ready to host important international events in the coming years.
"Great beauty, after all, lies in interaction and in the stories experienced by people in the places to which they belong," says Pietro Salini, Webuild’s Chief Executive. “From this idea, we can start again by imagining and designing a network of infrastructure that better suits the needs of the 21st Century, all the while respecting the historical heritage and the fascinating stratifications of a capital like Rome.” Salini adds that the photographic images "serve as the inspiration to work towards the future, and plan for a city that needs to open itself to the idea that a large infrastructure project that takes full advantage of our best construction and creative skills will create a more liveable city with standards that are at the same level as other world capitals. We need to rethink, re-conceive, re-imagine the way we live in cities of art, and how to use the extraordinary cultural heritage that our predecessors have left us. This will mean rethinking tourism, trade and urban decorum, transport, free time, sport and everything that the city can offer its residents and those who come to visit it".
The “ROMA SILENZIOSA BELLEZZA” project, says VIVE Director Edith Gabrielli, "connects to one of the most intensely felt debates in this historical moment, which considers the role of cities, and Rome is naturally one of these. The questions that need an answer, which are numerous and important, range from the issue of transportation to the relationship between supposed city centres and suburbs. ‘ROMA SILENZIOSA BELLEZZA’ can also unite scientific commitment with the capacity of attracting the public. Moreno Maggi's photos open viewers' eyes making them see extremely famous places, placing them in a different, and in many ways unprecedented, light, thanks, in part, to the immersive mode used".
The exhibit, curated by Roberto Koch and Alessandra Mauro, is a journey enriched by photos, videos, and multimedia projections, enabling visitors to discover a new way of living in harmony. They offer an emotional and intellectual tour, during which visitors can contemplate the importance of being part of a community.
Images from the exhibit have already been lighting up the façade of Palazzo Venezia in recent days. The effect was created by video mapping prepared by Webuild. By alternating projections of photos with a play of light every day from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. until February 28, it will reach an even greater public, adding value to the entire area of Piazza Venezia.
The exhibit is part of a bigger project that includes the catalogue and , published by Rizzoli on behalf of Webuild. It aims to stimulate a debate on topics such as the liveable city, the urban landscape, mobility, and the future paradigms of urban living. It transforms the pandemic experience into an opportunity to rethink the urban environment and its infrastructure, starting with what communities need from a perspective of sustainability.
ROMA SILENZIOSA BELLEZZA
Rome, VITTORIANO – Zanardelli Hall
From January 20 to February 28, 2023
Monday to Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (last entrance at 6:45 p.m.)
Free Entry