The first Generali Valore Cultura space launches at Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome

After a major restoration, #generaliitalia opens Palazzo Bonaparte, which it has transformed into a new community hub for art and culture in partnership with Arthemisia

Generali Valore Cultura at Palazzo Bonaparte will open to the public on October 6th with a large exhibition dedicated to Impressionism.

To celebrate this event, the Palzazzo will be open to everyone for free on July 9th from 2pm to midnight. #Palazzoinmostra

Marco Sesana, Country Manager & CEO of #generaliitalia and Global Business Lines, stated: "Doing business in a modern way means supporting the commitment to our 10 million customers with a concrete commitment to our communities. For us, this means being a partner to #people, and our ambition is to open up and improve our assets such as Palazzo Bonaparte—a heritage that, thanks to a collaboration with an important partner like Arthemisia, becomes a hub of development for the community.”

Rome. #generaliitalia opens the first Generali Valore Cultura space at Palazzo Bonaparte, the historic palace in Rome, known for its green balcony where Letizia Bonaparte, Napoleon's mother, watched the city go by from the veranda between Piazza Venezia and via del Corso.

After a major restoration, the Palazzo has become a new community hub for art and culture thanks to a partnership with Arthemisia. In one of Generali’s most beautiful and precious historical buildings, exhibitions, cultural events, and educational initiatives will be hosted, with particular emphasis on families and young #people.

On October 6, the first exhibition, titled "Secret Impressionists” will begin, with more than 50 normally inaccessible works from the most important private collections in the world. Most of these works have never before been loaned, and are by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Pissarro, Sisley, Caillebotte, Morisot, Gonzalès, Gauguin and Signac.

To celebrate the event, a grand opening for the public will take place on July 9th from 2pm to midnight at Palazzo Bonaparte with #PalazzoinMostra.

Lucia Sciacca, Director of Communications and Sustainability for #generaliitalia, stated: “Palazzo Bonaparte represents a new step on the path set forward by Generali Valore Cultura in recent years. It’s a project that was created with the idea of bringing our artistic and cultural heritage to life with initiatives for participation and accessibility, offering innovative experiences and involving #people in a way that is relevant to the entire community. In 3 years, Generali Valore Cultura's events have involved over 3.5 million #people, with a strong focus on young #people and families.” Iole Siena, President of the Arthemisia Group, stated: “Participating in the creation of the new Generali Valore Cultura cultural centre at Rome’s Palazzo Bonaparte is a great privilege for us; we will bring you important art exhibitions, starting with one of the most exciting themes for the public, Impressionism. For years, we and Generali have shared the goal of improving access to culture for as many #people as possible, certain of the social and human value that art awareness provides. Art must not be for the few, it must be understood and loved by all, and Arthemisia has always been committed to this idea.”

Valore Cultura

Valore Cultura is a multi-year initiative from #generaliitalia, created in 2016 to increase public access to art and culture and to preserve important landmarks. Through Valore Cultura, Generali has developed partnerships with major opera houses and cultural institutions specializing in major exhibitions, as well as projects with leading artists. These are important partnerships that, in just three years, have enabled 3.5 million #people to take part in 80 artistic and cultural initiatives and 20,000 students and young #people to take part in workshops and cultural projects, with over 80,000 free admissions.

Palazzo Bonaparte, with 3 centuries of history, is a witness to Italian historical heritage: from Maria Letiza Romolino, the mother of Napoleon Bonaparte, to the statue of Mars the Pacifier of Canova.

With its approximately 3,000 square meters of mosaics, frescoes, and stuccoes, Palazzo Bonaparte is a Baroque treasure chest of Renaissance rigour, the work of architect Giovanni Antonio De Rossi. Since 1972 it has been

This Generali Valore Cultura space, the first of its kind, overlooks Piazza Venezia next to the company’s headquarters, which houses "Radici del Presente" (Roots of the Present), a museum housing an archaeological collection from the Roman- Imperial age designed specifically for young #people, where free lessons have been organised for schools since 2016.

From its foundation in 1677 (work began twenty years earlier, in 1657), Palazzo Bonaparte has been owned by the Roman families of Cervini, Margani, D'Aste and Rinuccini, after which it was purchased in 1818 by Maria Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon's mother, who lived in the palace, located on the corner of Piazza Venezia and Via del Corso, until her death in 1836. It was she who wanted the famous green balcony that would become the symbol of the palace, which is still visible today from a perspective between Piazza Venezia and Via del Corso. It was here in the early nineteenth century that Madame Mère (as Letizia Bonaparte signed her correspondence with rulers of the time), unable to leave the house due to old age, spent her days observing carriages pass though the streets of Rome.

The sculptor Canova presented her with the plaster model of the giant statue of the Emperor that is still preserved today in the center of her apartments’ antechamber. The 2017 Restoration

The major renovation of Palazzo Bonaparte, managed by Generali Real Estate SGR, lasted over twelve months and involved both the interior and exterior of the building, with the aim of renovating and making the rooms more functional, while at the same time enhancing all the architectural, historical and decorative elements.

The bulk of the work centered on the three upper floors, which have undergone a complete architectural and structural restoration. The spaces have been transformed into modern, modular offices with the installation of new floors, LED lighting, and the latest generation air conditioning system. Together with a restoration of the coffered ceilings and renovation of the walls, these interventions render the space suitable for the needs of companies and organizations looking for a place with a perfect balance between efficiency and prestige, history and modernity.

Generali Real Estate SGR, Studio Pras, which followed the design of the restoration and, the company D'Adiutorio, which was responsible for construction, were assisted by the Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma in all design choices.