After nearly four centuries, the Visitation attributed to Raphael, Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco Penni is returning to L’Aquila. The painting returns to the Abruzzo capital, marking one of the most important events in the program of L’Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026. The final go-ahead came in the last few hours, as announced by Mayor Pierluigi Biondi and Abruzzo National Museum director Federica Zalabra.
The project, promoted by the Abruzzo National Museum and supported and financed by the City of L’Aquila as part of the 2026 initiatives, is the result of an important institutional synergy. In addition to the Municipality and MuNDA, the General Directorate of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of Spain in Italy, the Prado Museum and the Diocese of Pistoia collaborated.
Made around 1517 for the church of San Silvestro, the work was taken from the city in 1655 by Spanish troops and destined for the royal collections of Philip IV. Today, nearly four hundred years later, the Visitation returns to the city for which it was conceived, mending a historical and symbolic bond with the area. Now housed at the Prado in Madrid, the work will return on the occasion of the exhibition The Visitation at L’Aquila. Raphael and Pontormo, curated by Tom Henry and Federica Zalabra, and will be placed in dialogue with Pontormo’s Visitation of Carmignano, owned by the Diocese of Pistoia. The exhibition will be on display from June 27 at MuNDA, in the 16th-century castle building.
The Prado’s Visitation will be included in an exhibition itinerary built according to criteria of accessibility and inclusion, where paintings, drawings, engravings and archival documents will be presented to offer the public a broad and articulate historical-artistic study.
“The return of the work The Visitation by Raphael,” said L’Aquila Mayor Pierluigi Biondi, “has a historical, artistic and sentimental value that is unparalleled for our land. Bringing it back to L’Aquila, after 400 years, demonstrates the solidity of our project for 2026 and the Municipality’s ability to dialogue with major international institutions such as the Prado Museum. An achievement made possible by the authority of the National Museum of Abruzzo’s Mic and the valuable and constant interlocution with the Embassy of Spain in Italy, for which I thank His Excellency Miguel Fernández-Palacios, who facilitated an unprecedented path of cultural diplomacy. Just as valuable was the mediation with the Diocese of Pistoia for the loan of Pontormo’s Visitation. We firmly believed and invested in this operation, convinced that transnational collaboration and culture are a decisive mixture for the rebirth and global projection of our territory.”
“The Museum, in consultation with the General Directorate of Museums of the Ministry of Culture,” said Federica Zalabra, director of the National Museum of Abruzzo, “has pursued the project of the exhibition La Visitazione all’Aquila. Raphael and Pontormo reaching, after almost two years of work, its implementation phase during the summer season of 2026. The ambitious exhibition event fits into the overall vision of directing the museum as a cultural landmark for the area and the city. Opening the exhibition at the Castle in the year L’Aquila was designated the Italian Capital of Culture represents a further goal for MuNDA, which in recent years has gained credibility and reputation on a national and international scale, helping to strengthen the profile of culture-driven economic territorial development.”
 |
| Raphael and Aid's Visitation returns to L'Aquila after nearly 400 years, on display at 16th-century castle |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
IT
FR
DE
ES
CN