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A MASTERPIECE IN VERSILIA by Manuela Schinaia Caravaggio's " San Giovanni Battista disteso", star of an exhibition in Camaiore, Tuscany. The purpose of important cultural exhibitions has always been to attract as many people as possible, naturally to introduce the works on display to the widest possible audience, but sometimes, and mistakenly, curators tend to take the number of admissions as an indicator of its success. This is perhaps one of the reasons why in culture is more often than not offered only in the high season in popular tourist spots. But now a few courageous curators are riding an opposite wave: that of attracting an attentive, refined or simply curious audience to visit an exhibition, with the ease of doing it in the tranquillity of the low season. FO: Managing a territory that begins in hills full of history and reaches a sea that since the post-war years has become an international summer ‘must’ can’t be easy: how did this courageous initiative come about? Alessandro Del Dotto: The summer just ended has been as difficult as it was satisfying for our municipality. Indeed, the administrative complexities that have characterized this difficult period for all of us didn’t diminish out desire to bring culture to the daily lives of our citizens and tourist visitors alike. We managed to put on quite a few events this season, ranging from the Gaber Festival to Camaiore d'Altri Tempi and on to È la via dell'arte. So the arrival in our city of "Il San Giovanni Battista disteso" by Michelangelo Merisi, is another reason to be proud and represents the continuation of what has always been our aim
as a Municipal administration: to enhance Camaiore through art, culture and knowledge, especially though events with elements of history and art linked with Camaiore. With this initiative we offer citizens and tourists to chance to admire a precious piece of art that not only belongs to the history of our country, but to the whole world. I sincerely thank everyone involved in making this event possible. " FO: Managing to present a Caravaggio is a great result! Daniele Crippa: The Art Promoter Cultural Association has been organizing exhibitions in public spaces for decades, and over the years has presented works by important artists of great cultural depth. The opportunity to be the first in Italy to host a very rare painting by Caravaggio was an opportunity we couldn’t miss. Thanks to the support of art historian Francesco Moretti I was able to present the opportunity to the Mayor of Camaiore, which having one of the most fascinating Museums of Sacred Art in its territory, presented itself as the perfect place. The enthusiasm linked with the vision to involve the world of culture at a time when we all needed a sign of recovery certainly was a determining factor. FO: Where did this painting come from? What can you tell us about it origins? Daniele Crippa: The painting has long belonged to a Maltese collector who bought it from its last owner, an American Masonic lodge. The canvas was originally part of the Medici collections, and sailed from the port of Livorno
