The Italian Cultural Institute of New York has organised “Under the stars of Giotto”, a virtual immersive experience, in one of the Italian painter’s masterpieces, the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Set up on the Institute’s premises, the exhibition, which opened on 14 November 2023 and will run until 31 January 2024, features special Italy-made technology from the company Hidonix, which specialises in technological innovation for museums. A scanning campaign conducted in the summer of 2023 has indeed made it possible to recreate in minute detail both the Chapel and the crypt, which is usually not accessible.
Explanatory panels explain how Giotto – a painter who transformed western art and knew how to blend realism and spirituality – inspired those extraordinary 14th-century fresco cycles thanks to which “Padua – Urbs picta” was recognised as a UNESCO site.
In addition, a photographic exhibition by Francesca Magnani entitled “Padua Postcards” will enable visitors to experience the emotion of the human context in which Giotto’s works are set.