The “Metaphorà” remains closed

Welcome to the museum… closed: the “Metaphorà” remains only a presentation

Inaugurated amid applause and official declarations, but the public remains outside. The interactive museum “Metaphorà”, presented in the renovated spaces on the third floor of the Palazzo dei Filippini, is not yet accessible , despite the fact that 6 days have passed since the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the announcement of its opening.

“ We are giving back to the community a space of knowledge, beauty and innovation , a place that not only preserves memory but relaunches it in the present , making it accessible, exciting and alive”. This is how the mayor of Agrigento , Franco Miccichè , commented on the official presentation of the “Metaphorà” (because it is a presentation, as the city’s interactive museum was then immediately closed ) inaugurating the exhibition spaces on the third floor of the former Collegio dei Padri Filippini building .

The reopening of the building will take place almost three years after the historic building on Via Atenea was closed for renovation and refurbishment works , which cost a total of one and a half million euros , of which 400 thousand were allocated to the new multimedia space , with European and regional funds .

“This place, already a custodian of history and memory – continued Mayor Miccichè during the presentation – opens to a new cultural season; Metaphorà , as its name suggests, is a bridge between past and future ; an immersive journey through the 2600 years of history of the city of Agrigento , narrated with the language of new technologies and designed to excite, intrigue and involve the visitor”.

Metaphorà is therefore ready to tell the story of Agrigento with cutting-edge tools : immersive videos , touchscreen tables , 3D modelling and an interactive timeline with scientifically curated bilingual content , created through a synergy between technological and cultural experts .

Essentially, the city's multimedia museum , smaller than the initial project (Agrigento is one of the few Italian cities to have a museum of this type), is a candidate to become a dynamic cultural hub and a point of reference for Agrigento Italian Capital of Culture 2025 , " a gateway to our history - specifies Mayor Miccichè - for those who arrive and a place of rediscovery for those who live in the city every day".

Present at the presentation, in addition to the prefect Salvatore Caccamo and the authorities , were the design architect Elvira Capraro , the director of the works Raoul Gavazzi and the manager of the company that took care of the installations, Maria Emanuela Oddo .

The opening of the “Metaphorà” however takes place approximately halfway through the Year of Culture and does not resolve the doubts related to the complex management of the museum of Palazzo Filippini , which is currently still closed to the public . The national president of the FAI , Marco Magnifico , emphasized this point, “ flying especially from Milan to Agrigento ” to participate in the presentation.

The paternity of the city museum , born with the previous Firetto administration , is linked to the initial idea of ​​professor Andrea Carandini , then president of the FAI, to establish a virtual museum in Agrigento, an idea immediately accepted by the Municipality .

“This is a very dignified installation ,” said Marco Magnifico , “and my opinion on it is positive. The Filippini Palace looks great . However, I strongly hope that the first floor, which houses the Pinacoteca Comunale with the Sinatra Collection , will also be opened as soon as possible , because it is clear that the first and last floors must live in symbiosis .

The Sinatra Collection is a collection of international value and what is told – and well – on the top floor with the Metaphorà , is reflected in the paintings of Lojacono and other Sicilian landscape artists , on the first floor. I believe it should be recognized that this is an intervention that the FAI suggested and supported , but that the community of Agrigento has made its own .

As with everything, more could have been done , but we must be happy with what we have managed to achieve in a dignified manner."

RED LAWRENCE

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