If among the millions of tourists in Venice there are some who miss admiring its ancient masterpieces during their stay, soon it will no longer be possible to escape it: archeology should be invited into certain hotels in Venice. The agreement signed between the Superintendence of Archeology (Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio) and the Association of Hoteliers of Venice (Associazione Veneziana Albergatori, AVA) plans to remove artifacts from state reserves as part of a “diffuse archaeological museum” project.
More precisely, the partnership will make it possible to trace a circuit through the Serenissima, and if necessary to relocate the objects in the sector of their discovery. Certain hotels in the historic center, the Lido and the islands will thus be entrusted with witnesses of the thousand-year-old history of Venice, provided that the establishments have equipment adapted to the reception of antiques.
“Protection and public access are not contradictory; if the project is well designed, they can reinforce each other”argued Superintendent Corrado Azzollini, about the main objective of the project: to make accessible these collections, most of which are kept in repositories closed to the public. From his point of view, hotels, as establishments open most of the year, are particularly conducive to disseminating this additional museum offer, to visitors and the local population alike.
But the hotels will only be the places for presentation of the objects, the selection and associated scientific content of which remain in the hands of the Superintendence, which will also judge the adequacy of the conservation conditions offered by the establishment. The artifacts of the route also remain the property of the Italian State, to which the signed agreement reserves the right to recover property at any time.
AVA President Antonio Vianello described the system as a “totally new experience, unprecedented in Italy”. In Rome, the program Arte Fuori at the Museum – the result of a partnership between the General Directorate of Museums of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Regional Association of Hoteliers of Lazio Federalberghi Lazio and the LoveItaly association – had made it possible from October 2024 to install works and archaeological pieces from national reserves in hotels, which contributed upstream to financing their restoration. In Venice, the project should take on a more territorial dimension, offering visitors a real exhibition tour, developed in a network.
The details of this future “diffuse archaeological museum” will be discussed during a first meeting, scheduled for October 21.
