Exhibition of Etruscan sculptures presented at Fiumicino Airport

The exhibition of three evocative Etruscan sculptures belonging to the permanent collections of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia was inaugurated at Fiumicino Airport. Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, spoke at ‘Etruscans for eternity’, the presentation event of the three works which can be admired every day by thousands of passengers passing through the Arrivals area of ​​Terminal 1; Luana Toniolo, Director of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, and Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region.

Thanks to the collaboration between Rome Airports, the General Directorate of Museums and the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, it was possible to ‘land’ the works, among the most significant of Etruscan culture, carefully selected by the curators of the Museum at the airport, to offer the public the suggestion of the charm of this ancient people, as well as giving an opportunity to plan a visit to the Museum. These are two travertine cinerary urns from Perugia and a sarcophagus lid from Tuscania, which capture attention thanks to the idealized portraits of Laris Afle, Arnth Acsi and Larth Cales, men, probably aristocrats, who lived in the 2nd century BC All and three characters are depicted lying down, taking part in a symposium: a reception where they drank, talked and listened to music, a moment foundation of the social life of the Etruscans.

The urn cases are decorated with scenes from the myth, from the Seven against Thebes with Oedipus mourning his children to the sacrifice of Iphigenia by her father Agamemnon. The heroes and myths of the Greek repertoire, with their universal meanings that reach us intact, are chosen to reaffirm the values ​​on which the community was founded. The works, through reference to the real and virtual dimension of travel, stimulate connections between past and future, real world and fantasy, experiences and expectations.

This is a collaborative project strongly desired by the director of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, who recalled how the initiative intends to take the Museum outside the Museum, into highly frequented places such as airports to create “oases” of beauty and to invite us to reflect on the cultural heritage that belongs to each of us”.

Furthermore, Aeroporti di Roma has long implemented a strategy aimed at valorising and disseminating knowledge of cultural heritage, based on partnerships with organisations, cultural institutions and museums, which have enriched the “Leonardo da Vinci” with artefacts archaeological sites, works of art from different eras and contemporary installations, with the aim of rethinking transit places by promoting and enhancing art and culture in all their forms. “With the presentation of these three suggestive sculptures we enrich the cultural and artistic proposal of our port, marking the start of a strategic collaboration with the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia” commented Troncone recalling that “the intense artistic and cultural programming of Adr, a pillar of our sustainable development strategy, has for some time now represented one of the keys that has allowed us, in recent years, to transform Fiumicino airport into a formidable showcase of the beauty and historical heritage of our country”.

For Rocca, the exhibition of precious works from the Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in the “Leonardo da Vinci” airport, which becomes a true “widespread museum”, is part of that idea of ​​promoting Lazio that I have supported so much since beginning of my mandate”.