Parma, multimedia installations to discover Correggio's frescoes

In 2024, Parma will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the completion of the cycle of frescoes in the great dome of the basilica of San Giovanni by Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio. This celebration, which has been given the title Correggio500, will offer visitors, from September 8, 2024 to January 31, 2025, a special experience, allowing them to observe up close, through amultimedia installation, the frescoes normally visible only from a distance. The main novelty of the celebration is the installation Il Cielo per un Istante in Terra (Heaven for an Instant on Earth), the result of Lucio Rossi’s photographic project, which created the entire photo-plane of the dome. This grand installation, located in the Refectory of the Monastery of St. John, allows visitors to admire details and subtleties of the dome’s frescoes that normally escape the human eye. Rossi’s images, preceded by a historical-artistic introductory section, offer a close-up view of the dome, including the portion visible only to the monks, the one facing the choir reserved for them: this is the area opposite the nave, where Correggio painted the Ascension of St. John, which was meant to be a model for the monks to be inspired by.

Another key attraction is the Abbess Chamber in the Monastery of St. Paul. Correggio500 introduces an immersive experience called Hortus Conclusus 2.0, which allows visitors to explore the history of the monastery and Correggio’s frescoes. Using a MetaQuest VR visor, visitors can immerse themselves in the ancient landscapes and discover hidden details of the frescoes. This project is carried out in collaboration with ArcheoVea Impresa Culturale, Publics.icc and the University of Parma through the SFERA program.

Correggio500 takes place between the Monastery of San Giovanni and the Monastery of San Paolo, just 500 steps apart. The celebration includes accessible routes and state-of-the-art technology to ensure informed and engaging enjoyment. Vice Mayor and Councilor for Culture and Tourism Lorenzo Lavagetto stressed the importance of this initiative as the first multimedia project dedicated to Correggio: “Correggio500 moves between two and more places of art and history separated by just 500 steps. The hand of an artist, among the greatest of the Italian Renaissance, weaves a thread between particular monastic environments, which, through the centuries, have been able to preserve and hand down a taste, a genius, a history that identifies Parma as a city of art, of great masterpieces and great beauty. The connection between these 500 years could only be the first multimedia initiative dedicated to the painter of Parma. Correggio 500 offers an in-depth look at his era of activity and an evocative popularization thanks to new technologies. Our goal is to allow everyone, with totally accessible routes and state-of-the-art technology, to allow informed admiration. Going through Parma, back to its 1500s will be an aesthetic pleasure, but certainly also an enchanting opportunity for knowledge.”

The event is promoted by the Culture and Tourism Department of the City of Parma, with support from the Cariparma Foundation and the Emilia Romagna Region. The Community of the Benedictine Abbey of St. John the Evangelist offers hospitality, while Lucio Rossi’s images add a prodigious touch. The Regional State Property Office and the Superintendence for Architectural and Landscape Heritage of Parma and Piacenza are collaborating to ensure the success of the initiative, which runs from next fall through early 2025.

In addition to rediscovering Correggio’s fresco cycles, visitors can view other works by the artist at the Galleria Nazionale di Parma in the Complesso della Pilotta, where altarpieces and other paintings of great historical and artistic significance are on display.

A single ticket allows access to both the Monastery of San Giovanni and the Monastery of San Paolo from September 9, 2024 to January 31, 2025, offering an unmissable opportunity to explore the beauty and history of Parma through the works of one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance.

Parma, multimedia installations to discover Correggio's frescoes

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