The most interesting exhibitions and artistic paths to experience Italian art in
spring
Every spring, in Italy, art takes on new perspectives: it does not remain confined to the rooms, but is
intertwines with cities, landscapes and itineraries, suggesting other ways of traversing heritage
cultural. The exhibitions thus become stages of a broader story, made up of dialogues between
eras, influences and territories, where the visit can become the starting point of a trip.
Italian Traditions is offering a selection for spring 2026.
In Florence, color becomes the protagonist of perception. Palazzo Strozzi hosts “Rothko a
Florence”, from March 14th to August 23rd, one of the most important exhibitions ever dedicated to
American master. Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, the exhibition is
conceived specifically for Palazzo Strozzi and follows the evolution of the artist from the first
figurative works, in dialogue with expressionism and surrealism, up to the large abstract canvases
of the fifties and sixties. The link with Florence is at the heart of the project, which involves
also the Museum of San Marco and the Laurentian Library: two places chosen for
broaden the comparison between Rothko’s painting, the Italian artistic tradition and a dimension
more intimate and spiritual than the visual experience.
For those looking for a stage off the beaten track, Rovigo offers a refined perspective
on Impressionism. At Palazzo Roverella, “Zandomeneghi and Degas. Impressionism between
Florence and Paris”, from February 27th to June 28th, puts in dialogue for the first time in a way
organic Federico Zandomeneghi and Edgar Degas. The exhibition reconstructs the relationship
intense, sometimes angular, which linked the two artists during the long Parisian season. The route
follows Zandomeneghi’s transition from the Italian lineup to the French scene, putting
highlights its role in European modernity and invites us to observe Impressionism from a
less usual point of view.
The theme of the journey also runs through the great retrospective that Palazzo Ducale, in Genoa,
dedication to Anthony van Dyck. “Van Dyck the European. The journey of a genius from Antwerp to
Genoa and London”, from March 20th to July 19th, tells the story of an artist capable of moving between
Flanders, Italy and England transforming each passage into a stylistic maturation. The
exhibition brings together 60 works in ten thematic sections and highlights the decisive role of
Genoa in his career: in the Ligurian city Van Dyck refined the aristocratic portrait, making it
an instrument of prestige, power and European identity.
In Umbria, the route changes register and takes on a historical and spiritual dimension. To
National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia, “Giotto and Saint Francis. A revolution
in fourteenth-century Umbria”, from March 14th to June 14th, accompanies the celebrations for
the eighth centenary of the death of the saint of Assisi. Curated by Veruska Picchiarelli ed
Emanuele Zappasodi, the exhibition tells the story of the season in which the Franciscan charism and the
Giotto’s painting helped transform the figurative language between the end of the thirteenth century and the
first decades of the fourteenth century, overcoming the rigidity of the Byzantine tradition and giving greater
concreteness to faces, gestures and emotions. From Perugia, the itinerary ideally continues towards
Assisi and the other Franciscan places in the region.
In Rome, spring invites us to transcend the boundaries of Western tradition. Palazzo
Bonaparte hosts “Hokusai”, from March 27 to June 29, with over 200 works dedicated to
Katsushika Hokusai. The exhibition spans the entire creative arc of the Japanese master,
from ukiyo-e prints to views of Mount Fuji, from manga to the famous Great Wave. The
path highlights the modern strength of his vision — landscapes, nature,
movement, everyday life — and the role played by Hokusai on European art, by
impressionists in Van Gogh. In a city accustomed to dealing with different eras and languages,
the imaginary of the japanese master offers a further perspective on the dialogue between cultures.
The MANN – National Archaeological Museum tells the origins of Neapolitan identity
of Naples, which presents “Parthenope. The Siren and the city”, from April 3 to July 6. The exhibition
It is dedicated to the thousand-year-old bond between the siren Partenope and Neapolitan identity and brings together over
250 works, from the 8th century BC to the contemporary age, with loans from more than forty museums
Italians and international. The route passes through myth, archaeology and cultural anthropology, from
first Greek settlement on the Pizzofalcone promontory up to street art
contemporary, showing how this figure continues to cross and define
the imagination of the city.
More than a calendar, this selection draws a map: six stages to cross Italy
between museums and cities. From Umbrian spirituality to Rothko’s color, from the myth of Parthenope
to the Japanese imagination of Hokusai, spring becomes the opportunity to follow trajectories
unexpected, where each exposure is only the beginning of the journey.