A new museum hub is emerging in Savona. It will feature a single ticket office at Palazzo Gavotti, facing the street, alongside a bookshop and an information point. A combined ticket will be available for both civic and non-civic museums, valid throughout the entire weekend (MUSA weekend), and a new website connected to an electronic ticketing portal.
These are some of the initiatives outlined in ‘MUSA 2027’, which aims to revitalize the network of Savona museums, placing it among the routes the city is planning for Savona 2027.
The project was unveiled this morning at a press conference attended by Mayor Marco Russo, Cultural Assessor Nicoletta Negro, Museums Director Valentina Frascarolo, and representatives of Savona Museums.
“This is a significant step forward, not just for the museum offerings but for the city’s broader cultural landscape, enhancing and making the art heritage dynamic in relation to both locals and tourists,” commented Mayor Russo.
“MUSA 2027, explained Assessor Negro, will enhance all our museums, and consequently, the entire city’s heritage. The Pinacoteca will serve as the focal point of the civic museum system, which also opens up to other museums, around which Savona’s cultural and artistic offerings will revolve. The De Mari Foundation, in June 2023, established a provincial network comprising 18 institutions. MUSA will not overlook this work and will contribute to expanding its potential, also from a tourism perspective. The three key aspects of MUSA are: creating a visible and open reference point for the city, not just for museum offerings but also for tourism; highlighting the extraordinary Milena Milani collection and her legacy; and showcasing the rich cultural offerings ranging from the Museo della Ceramica to the Apple Museum.”
Director Frascarolo highlights that through various initiatives of MUSA 2027, such as relocating the ticket office to the street, we will enhance the visibility of Savona’s museum network. Additionally, with centralized and electronic ticketing, we will achieve a more effective monitoring of both attendees and non-attendees, providing crucial data for future programming. To foster stronger connections with national and international museum communities, the council recently decided to register Savona’s civic museums with ICOM Italy, the Italian branch of the International Council of Museums, whose mission is to safeguard cultural heritage and advance museums nationally and internationally.”
The main actions
The Revitalization of the Civic Art Gallery
The Civic Art Gallery becomes the coordinating hub of MUSA 2027. Over a three-year plan, a comprehensive reordering and reinstallation of the entire museum is planned to update visitor experiences and enhance the preservation conditions of the artworks.
Unified ticketing with street access (in Chabrol Square, within the premises currently used by the Milani Foundation). In addition to a specialized bookshop, the ticket office will also serve as an information point for all Savona museums.
The figure of Milena Milani and her collection in memory of Carlo Cardazzo
The enhancement of this collection is part of Savona’s candidacy dossier for Italian Capital of Culture. In the rest area on the third floor, a multimedia room will be set up to present a video narrative of Milena Milani and her collection housed in the Art Gallery. Furthermore, from February, the Gallery will benefit from an advanced doctoral research program initiated by UNIGE, focusing specifically on the Milani collection.
New Spaces for Reception, Consultation, and Exhibitions
With the relocation of the current ticket office, a new area will be created for reception and the consultation of bibliographic materials related to the region. Additionally, the section of the former temporary exhibition hall, which opened onto the atrium on the first floor and is currently used solely as a storage area for the educational laboratory, will be refurbished for small exhibitions, events, or meetings.
Focus on Educational Activities
The Ceramics Museum Foundation and the International Institute for Ligurian Studies have been offering outstanding educational activities for schools and families for years. Following a long collaboration with Italia Nostra, in recent years, the educational programs for the Pinacoteca and the Pertini Cuneo Museum have been supported by the Ceramics Museum Foundation, which develops collaborative projects between the Ceramics Museum and the Pinacoteca, within the Pinacoteca’s spaces.
The Museums Directorate aims to enhance the educational activities of the Pinacoteca and Pertini Cuneo, and strengthen relationships with schools (for example, through work-based learning), with a new project starting from the 2025/26 academic year.
NEW WEBSITE, ONLINE PURCHASE PORTAL, MUSA WEEKEND CARD
The revamped MUSA website will enhance the visibility of the city’s museum network: civic museums will have their own active pages, while non-civic museums will be featured through static pages linking to their respective websites. Additionally, the site will connect to the new online purchase portal, integrating the various ticketing systems of the Civic Museums.
Through this portal, you can purchase the ‘MUSA WEEKEND’ CARD. Given the different opening hours during the week, the single ticket will be valid for an entire weekend and will also include access to Mazzini’s cell with a guide from the archaeological museum and entry to the Brandale tower for a panoramic city view, providing a more cohesive and comprehensive experience for visitors across the city’s museums.
SHARED CULTURAL AND RESEARCH PROGRAMMING
Inclusive, multilingual audio guides will be available to offer museum tours with varying levels of detail (included with the CARD or available for purchase separately). Periodically, thematic guided tours will be offered within the city’s museums, while one Thursday each month, the Pinacoteca’s conference room will host a focus on a piece of art, or a collection of works, from the museum network, inviting external guests to provide insight into the national and international art and cultural scene.