ROME.- Art and Tourism: works of art and archaeological finds will be exhibited in hotels thanks to an agreement between the Directorate-General for Museums (Ministry of Culture), Federalberghi Lazio and LoveItaly. The first installment of Art Out of the Museum | Arte fuori del Museo involves the Museo Nazionale Romano | National Roman Museum and Bettoja Hotels.

The exhibition of a Roman marble statue from the 2nd century AD depicting the Goddess Roma or Virtus was inaugurated today, October 15, 2024, at the Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo. Until recently stored in the deposits of the Museo Nazionale Romano | National Roman Museum, the Bettoja Hotels Group has financed the restoration of this ancient piece, its transport and installation inside a protective display case in the large foyer of the famous Roman hotel on the Esquiline Hill where it will be exhibited for a year.

This is the first installment of Art Out of the Museum | Arte fuori del Museo, an initiative promoted within the framework of a memorandum of understanding signed by the Directorate-General of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, Federalberghi Lazio with the non-profit association LoveItaly, which makes use of the network of hotels in the Lazio region that are members of the Federalberghi system, and has the goal of making archaeological and historical-artistic artefacts that are currently safeguarded in museum storerooms and in need of restoration, accessible to the public by exhibiting them in hotels.

The contents and innovative methods of Art Out of the Museum | Arte fuori del Museo were illustrated by Maurizio Bettoja, President of the Bettoja Hotels group; Stéphane Verger director of Museo Nazionale Romano; Tracy Roberts, vice president of LoveItaly; Carlo Felicioni, Project Coordinator; Walter Pecoraro, President of Federalberghi Lazio; and Giuseppe Roscioli, President of Federalberghi Roma.
When the 12 month exhibition period at the Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo is over, the Dea Roma will return to the Museo Nazionale Romano for a brand new location in the exhibition halls. The insurance coverage for Art Out of the Museum | Arte fuori del Museo is offered by the MAG Group, the storied insurance broker, and a sponsor of the project.

Art Out of the Museum | Arte fuori del Museo will initially be implemented by museums in Rome and Lazio and hotels in the region belonging to the Federalberghi system, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding and using the example of the Enhancement and Loan Agreement stipulated between the Museo Nazionale Romano and the Bettoja Hotels group. The project may subsequently be extended to a national level.

Prof. Massimo Osanna, Director General of Museums, Ministry of Culture : “The exploration and implementation of innovative strategies that make cultural heritage accessible to an increasingly wider public stand at the heart of the initiatives established in recent years by the General Directorate of Museums to enhance and promote the National Museum System and Italy’s cultural heritage. The rediscovery of works of art preserved in museum storage, through restoration and installation in unusual public spaces, such as those made available by large hotels, is a significant result that demonstrates the capacity for collaboration between regional institutions, whether public or private. Such efforts not only increase the enjoyment of the works by the public, but additionally promote the diffusion of culture and artistic education in the community”.

Prof. Stéphane Verger, Director of Museo Nazionale Romano | National Roman Museum: “Museum storage preserves numerous pieces of great historical interest or artistic relevance, however it is utopian to imagine that all of them can be systematically exhibited in permanent exhibition routes, even through rotation or temporary exhibitions. So, experimenting new ways of presenting the works, even in places that were previously considered unusual, while always ensuring their protection and conservation, certainly contributes to actioning a much broader and more widespread policy for the enjoyment of cultural heritage and encourages museum attendance. This new initiative is certainly an excellent example of collaboration between the public and private sectors”.

The exhibition of the Goddess Roma at the Hotel Mediterraneo

The idea of exhibiting an archaeological find at a hotel was inspired by the proximity of Palazzo Massimo, one of the four locations of the Museo Nazionale Romano | National Roman Museum, to the Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo, one of the most important examples of Rationalist architecture in Rome, whose splendid interiors are perfectly preserved and restored. These include a famous hall, an original setting from the 1940s. Having museum nearby was a decisive and inspiring factor for Maurizio and Massimo Bettoja, promotors of the initiative and strong supporters of Italy’s cultural heritage.

The goddess, identified as a personification of Rome and its Empire, or Roman military valor, wears a helmet with a plume over her gathered hair, a short tunic that leaves her right breast exposed and a cloak held on the left shoulder by a circular fibula. The balteus (a shoulder belt from which Roman soldiers hung their swords) crosses her chest from right shoulder to left hip. She holds a spear in her left hand, while her right, now lost despite the prop that connected it to her thigh, once supported the parazonium (the short, wide sword without a point that military tribunes and superior officers carried as a sign of distinction). On her feet are "endromides" (Greek "running" boots, used especially for hunting, close-fitting to the leg and open at the front with braided lacing). The left leg is supported by a tree trunk. The influence of the Greek classical tradition is visible especially in the costume, inspired by the depictions of the Amazons.