The FAI days are back: over 780 places and 400 cities. Here are the ones

The FAI Spring Days: today Saturday 21st March and Sunday 22nd, well 780 locations they will be open and visitable, with a free contribution, in 400 Italian cities. An appointment, arrived at 34th editionnow known to citizens, dedicated to the rediscovery of the immense cultural and landscape heritage of Italy.

Among them extraordinary openingsof goods and environments not normally accessible to the public, a Roma there will be that of Palace of the Ministry of Education and Meritdesigned by Cesare Bazzani in 1912; or of Supreme Court of Cassationbased in the Palace of Justice, built to a design by the architect Guglielmo Calderini between 1888 and 1910. While in Napoliit will be open there Maradona Stadiuminaugurated in 1959, where visitors will be able to observe the pitch from the sidelines and walk the so-called ‘Blue Mile’, just like the athletes do. Or again, in Liguriathe Lantern of Genoathe most famous monument in the city, the first written testimonies of which date back to 1128; to Torino will be open on City Palaceseat of the Town Hall, with richly decorated rooms, such as the Mayor’s Hall – exceptionally accessible – the Marble Hall and the Council Hall, with velvets and red damasks on the walls; while in Sicilya Palermo it will be visitable Porta Nuovaone of the most representative examples of the city’s triumphal architecture, where a new one will be proposed inclusive visit and accessible to allin collaboration with the ‘Sicilia’ Army Military Command, owner of the property, and the University of Palermo, which provides supports created specifically for the FAI Days, such as tactile visits with models and virtual visits with videos for people with reduced mobility and a cartoon for children. This is just to give a few examples. But the complete list of open places and how to participate can be found on www.giornatefai.it.

The itinerary of Saint Francis of Assisi

Among them novelty of this edition, an unpublished itinerary to commemorate the 800 years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisiwith a selection of openings in 8 regions that will enhance the figure and the spiritual and cultural heritage of the patron saint of Italy, such as that of Sanctuary of San Donato with the adjacent historic Garden of San Francesco in Ripacandida (PZ) – the ‘little Lucanian Assisi’ – decorated with 16th century frescoes and recognized in 2010 byUNESCO ‘monument messenger of culture of peace’, and of Franciscan complex of San Bernardino in Caravaggio (BG)with a precious cycle of frescoes depicting the Passion of Christ.

Volunteers and special places

In Umbriavisits to Convent of San Fortunato in Montefalco (PG)Franciscan convent which houses inside Renaissance frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and, in the surrounding woods, suggestive caves, an underground oratory from the early Christian era, later used for the cult of Christianity, and also for Bosco di San Francescoa FAI property in Assisi, a place of harmony and silence at the foot of the Basilica of San Francesco, where you can admire the Third Paradise by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Thanks to 7,500 volunteers of the FAI delegations and groups active in all regions, guided by the desire to always propose new places, and thanks to 17 thousand Ciceroni apprenticesyoung secondary school students specially trained by their teachers to talk about the beauties that surround them, will therefore open their doors to hundreds of special placesfrom North to South of the Peninsula, often little known or little appreciated, and many of which are usually inaccessible: from ville ai castelligive it he asked to places of education and research, come on artisan workshops all naturalistic areaspassing through institutional headquarters, theater, art collections e production sites and even a water pump and a football stadium, because in Italy the heritage of art, nature and culture it’s everywhere.

Support for heritage

At every visit it will be possible support the mission of the Foundation with a donation and, among the many openings proposed, some will be dedicated to registered with the FAI and to those who will register during the event. From 1993 – the year of the pioneering first edition of the event – to 2025, they have been almost 13 and a half million Italians that they were able to discover and rediscover further 17,000 special places of the cities and territories in which they live. The spring FAI Days, as well as the autumn ones, are an opportunity offered to Italians to get to know and appreciate the wonders of our country, but also an important initiative of awareness raising and fundraising of the Foundation, in support of its mission of public utility of care and protection of cultural heritagein the spirit of Article 9 of the Constitution and according to the principle of subsidiarity (article 118): what is collected from registrations and donations received during the event, in fact, concretely supports its institutional activities and allows the FAI to carry out its interventions restoration and the projects of valorisationsome of which are very expensive, on 75 beni that it cares for, manages and conserves, of which 60 are regularly open to the public so that all citizens can enjoy them, forever.