L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 2 and to express the magnificence and virtues of the de' Medici family. And he was very success- ful in realizing these aims. During his rule he created the famous P alazzo degli U ffizi ("offices") that now houses one of the world's most important collections of art, much of it commissioned or owned by vari- ous M edici. Like his more prominent ancestors, he was also an important patron of the arts, s upporting, among others , V as ari, Cellini, P ontormo, Bronzino, the architect Lanci, and the his torians S cipione Ammirato and Benedetto Varchi. It was to Bronzino and Pontormo that in 1545 Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned the creation of tw enty tapes tries , in Italian "arazzi", telling the stories of Giuseppe ebreo (Joseph the Jew). The arazzi were first destined to adorn the walls of the Sala de' Dugento (the Hall of the two hundreds) of Palazzo Vecchio (the town hall of Florence over- looking the Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue), but they were eventually divided in 1882 when ten of them were taken to Rome to be exhibited in the Quirinal Palace, the historic building in Rome and the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, where they have remained. Now, for the first time in 150 years , the tw enty beautiful Arazzi Medicei ( the de' Medici Tapestries) will be reunited in one very unique exhibition. The tapestries in fact are still divided between Palazzo del Quirinale and Palazzo Vecchio. "This is a Florentine story, but also an Italian and universal story", stated Florence mayor Dario Nardella, "I'm proud to s ee a project that w as only s ketched a few months ago, becoming reality in such a short period of time". What makes this exhibition real- ly interesting is the fact that it will be an itinerant exhibit orga- nized by Expo 2015, starting in J anuary in Rome at the Quirinale, travelling through Milano in April, and arriving finally in Florence where it will remain from September 2015 until January 2016. "This is an extraordinary oppor- tunity, that concretizes the funda- mental ideas of Expo, meaning the pow er of beauty and the power of actually doing things" said the Ministry of Agriculture Maurizio Martina at the press conference of "Il Principe dei Sogni. Giuseppe negli Arazzi M edicei di P ontormo e Bronzino" (The prince of dreams. Giuseppe in the Medici tapes tries by P ontormo and Bronzino). The exhibition, curated by Louis Godart, is already considered to be one of the main ones of 2015. The Arazzi Medicei in fact are among the mos t famous and important ones in the world. Something not to be missed! Cosimo I de' Medici (1519 – 1574) w as one of the mos t important members of the Florentine de' Medici family. He was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, and even- tually became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. If you visit Florence, a large bronze equestri- an s tatue of Cos imo I by Giambologna erected in 1598, still stands today in the Piazza della Signoria, the main square of the city. Aside from his strong and firm statesmanship, he is perhaps best known today for his great interest in culture and art. Among his goals was to proclaim through art a new golden age for Florence, The Arazzi Medicei are among the most famous and important ones in the world In 1545, Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned the creation of twenty tapestries, telling the stories of Joseph the Jew The Arazzi Medicei to be reunited again after 150 years GIULIA LOUISE STEIGERWALT

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