Stephen L’Occaso, in addition to being director of Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, is also interim director, from January 2024, of the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta in Parma: “for a stretch of this journey,” he points out, “I was listed as a delegated officer, a role that does not change the substance much, because in any case I had the signature and responsibility on the Pilot.” The temporary assignment has thus been going on for almost two years, a period that to call transitional is a tad limiting, however, for the past few days the situation has been becoming much clearer: in fact, the new call for directors of second-tier museums has been published, and the Pilotta is on the list. We interviewed the director to take stock of his management of the Parma museum site and to elaborate on what it means to play this role for a limited and at the same time indefinite time. The interview is by Marta Santacatterina.
MS. Director, what have been the main initiatives undertaken in the Pilotta during your leadership?
SLO. Leaving aside the acquisition of the important Allegory of Parma by Giorgio Gandini del Grano, or the realization of the new museum guide, I am thinking above all of the initiatives not aimed at the public, and first and foremost the start of construction sites for important works such as the redevelopment of the Piazzale di San Pietro Martire, which today has an executive project in the verification and validation phase. The most technically challenging project involves the installation of an elevator that will connect all elevations of the museum (the underground spaces, the ground floor, the two elevations of the Archaeological Museum, and the floor of the National Gallery and Palatine Library) and will be installed in a new space that will become the entrance to the Monumental Complex. The structure will hopefully act as a fire elevator and thus have an evacuation function in case of need; it will also have to be of such dimensions as to allow the transportation of works and the handling of bulky or particularly heavy artifacts, which is far more complex today. This project involved a reflection on the relocation of a number of service spaces: ticket office, entrance volume, reception, checkroom, toilets. We also envision a different solution from the current one for the storage rooms, now located on a mezzanine floor that can be reached only by a staircase, assuming that they would be moved to the first floor so as to facilitate the handling of works; the new storage rooms would also serve as a storage area, for example, for works arriving on the occasion of an exhibition.
Another major intervention in the Scuderie areas is underway, isn’t it?
The restoration in the Scuderie area is now at an advanced stage (nda: an initial arrangement, after the reacquisition of the space that was previously given in concession to the University of Parma, had already been conducted by former director Simone Verde; between late 2021 and early 2022 the Scuderie had also hosted an exhibition with a Dante theme). At the moment, the allocated funds are not sufficient to complete the work; so we are trying to supplement with various resources, and the timing of the end of the work is not very easy to define. To some extent, however, they are dictated by the NRP, because a first tranche of restoration falls under that funding, which must be implemented by June 2026, as well as work on the elevator, also made possible by funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
In total, how many projects have received NRP funding?
Another NRP funding is for the overhaul of the plant engineering and lighting systems on a portion of the museum. These works have also already been started, so we have at least four major projects that can count on substantial amounts. An acting director can only take on such major commitments to the extent that he or she perceives an urgency, since theoretically he or she should only deal with the ordinary. In this case the urgency is due to the timing of the funding: in order to take advantage of the funds, in fact, projects must be completed soon.
Let us then delve into the characteristics of the interim role of a director of an institution such as the Pilotta: how does it differ from a tenured director?
The main difficulty has to do with the need for planning for the institute one is directing on an interim basis, since such planning cannot take advantage of certain time frames with respect to the tenure, and in addition, one has to think about the director to come. Indeed, one has to carefully weigh those strategic choices (clearly also of an economic nature) that will burden future management, such as the possibility of organizing an exhibition, rescheduling a display, or initiating a recovery: such initiatives would likely be carried out by someone else who would then have to deal with the pros and cons. Then one has to decide whether to organize a major project that will burden the budget in future years and may not even be shared by the tenured director, or to leave a “treasury,” but without having planned activities of any kind. Or one can look for a middle ground, planning activities that do not involve an excessive financial burden and thus constrain the institute relatively, leaving adequate leeway for those who will come.
By the way, I imagine that your work was even more complicated by the very long duration of the interim, right?
There were actually shorter timelines for this role. But from a certain point of view such an unexpected duration had a positive side because there was a continuity that allowed some conscious decisions to be made. However, the planning remains short-sighted, because one looks to the future but without knowing how long this future will last. Now, however, the situation has changed, because the call for applications was published on August 7, and probably within a few months, evaluating the duration of previous selections, there will be the appointment of a tenured director. At that point a handover will follow, but the budget has to be done by October; so maybe it will be up to me to indicate the strategic forecast for the Pilotta Monumental Complex. Consequently, if we decide to set up the Giorgio Gandini del Grano exhibition in the spring of 2026, resources will have to be committed to complete the project. The same goes for the room dedicated to displaying, on a rotating basis, the Palatine Library’s wonderful collections of drawings and graphics, and which we are fine-tuning thanks to the work of an architect, who has been working with us for almost a year now, and fellow librarians.
Is there also some positive aspect to a temporary direction?
Certainly experiences and opportunities for comparison increase: for example, solutions found in one place can be taken advantage of and applied at the other site. Also, knowledge exchanges have been created between colleagues in Parma and Mantua, and this is a very useful factor. Directing the Pilotta is a privilege, it has involved tremendous professional growth on my part, and I hope this has given some benefit to the two institutes.
Do you intend to run in the competition to be confirmed as a tenured director in Pilotta?
I am not going to run, although I have thought about it a lot. I don’t want this to seem like a sign of lack of affection, interest or concern for the Pilotta, but I have been reappointed as director of the Ducal Palace in Mantua, and private reasons are pushing me to focus on that position.
In general, can we take stock of your work? And how have you found yourself in Parma in this year and a half?
Although I am aware that I am a ferryman figure of the Monumental Complex from one management to another, after almost two years of management, voluntarily or involuntarily, my mark will be there and all in all I don’t mind at all because, considering the affection for the museum and for my colleagues, I feel fulfilled at the idea of having been able to set up something destined to stay. I have gotten along very well in Parma, both with the staff of the Pilotta and with the municipality, with the local authorities, with the institutions, with the foundations. In fact, from this point of view, the participation of the community in the museum is much higher than I find in Mantua. Here I have found an openness, a willingness, a generosity that I have never encountered for Palazzo Ducale and that is comparable to that of Milan (nda: Stephen L’Occaso from 2025 to 2018 was also director of the Polo museale regionale della Lombardia). And this is a very good premise to work on.
Can you give us some examples of such generosity?
In these almost two years for the Pilotta, we have collected sponsorships and liberal disbursements for really important amounts, and just think of the Monteparma Foundation’s funding for the Farnese Festival, the Cariparma Foundation’s support for education, Chiesi’s commitment with Art Bonus for important restorations in the Pilotta; or even the Isabel and Balz Baechi Foundation’s sponsorship for the restoration of the stucco statues in the Farnese Theater, and the daily and friendly commitment of the Friends of the Pilotta. These are rare availabilities to find. But it is not only an economic issue: there is a context in Parma that considers the museum a showcase to be used as a theater for many initiatives: we are often asked to organize conferences, refreshments, presentations. The Pilotta is experienced and perceived as an important and living reality of the community, and this is essential.
The good governance of a museum also manifests itself in the feedback from visitors. Can you give us some numbers on attendance at the Pilotta during your direction?
A few days ago I got some data that I never dreamed of. In 2023 the Pilotta was visited by 169,262 people, and in 2024 this figure has grown to 173,218 visitors, for a total of 210,911 if we also include accesses (from June 2024) to the sites of Torrechiara Castle, the Antica Spezieria di San Giovanni and Velleia Romana. As for 2025, we are already at 175,000 visitors at the end of July, and I hope that we will be able to exceed the previous year’s numbers.
Do you think more enhancement initiatives would be needed for the Pilotta?
So, we have done many but rather small ones, in the sense that we have not put up the big exhibition or the big event, except for the Farnese Festival, which at the organizational level is complex. There are many activities, including social activities, organized by our staff, and the work of the Friends of the Pilotta is always extremely proactive and energetic. In addition, to meet the needs of visitors, we have changed the opening hours: we no longer open at 10:30 a.m. but at 9:00 a.m., and I think this can be appreciated by those who want to access the Pilotta in the morning.
What do you think of the current arrangements of the Monumental Complex?
While overall my personal judgment is certainly positive, I am not very convinced by some areas of the museum: for example, the Middle Ages are relatively underrepresented and even the local Renaissance is a bit underwhelming. I do not entirely agree with Guido Canali’s overhaul of the exhibits, and the part that I think needs the most work is on the lights; however, thanks to the aforementioned funding of this item we have approached the problem with a qualified designer with whom we have dialogued at length, trying to find some ameliorative solutions.
You did not, however, intervene on the arrangements that you felt were not effective.
I have not intervened both out of respect for the important work done by the previous director, Simone Verde, and because my opinion is not necessarily the absolute truth. Also, I think it makes no sense to spend money and change set-ups made two years earlier: they are maintained and observed, and in the long run, if anything, changes are decided.
However, are there also aspects that you really appreciate about the rearrangement done by Verde?
Absolutely yes, I find two things in particular really beautiful. One is the work Time, Past, Present and Future by Maurizio Nannucci on the Piazzale della Pilotta, which I think is a very intelligent intervention because it also recalls the so-called talking friezes of the Renaissance, but it does it in an absolutely modern key. I don’t know if the ancient reference was taken into consideration by the artist, but the neon writing is perfectly contextualized and at the same time it is a coherent and readable contemporary sign. The other thing I really appreciate is the video mapping at the Teatro Farnese, which is really gorgeous.
Now that your tenure in Parma is coming to an end, can we expect a surprise to “close the term on a high note” and pass the baton to the future director?
The Pinacoteca’s tour currently lacks a significant work, which has been secured in storage for many years because of its fragility and so as not to compromise its preservation. It is Parmigianino’sSelf-Portrait with Red Cap (although the attribution is not unanimous). Before passing the baton to the future director, I therefore commit myself to putting that small masterpiece back on display and returning it to the citizens and all visitors.
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