From December 5th to May 3rd, Palazzo Farnese presents the exhibition "Sibyls. Voices Beyond Time, Beyond Stone," curated by Antonio Iommelli, Director of the Civic Museums of Palazzo Farnese. On exceptional loan from the Galleria Borghese in Rome, a masterpiece of 17th-century painting, Domenichino's Cumaean Sibyl, arrives in Piacenza, exhibited in dialogue with sculptures by contemporary artist Christian Zucconi.

A fascinating and complex exploration of the prophetic female figure of the Sibyls , conceived to highlight their role in art history and underscore their inextricable connection to the city's artistic heritage. On loan from the Galleria Borghese in Rome is The Cumaean Sibyl by Domenico Zampieri, known as Domenichino, a 17th-century masterpiece that embodies the classical and vibrant interpretation of the prophetess. The work will be the heart of the exhibition and the fulcrum of a close temporal dialogue with the contemporary, thanks to the presence of eight Sibylline sculptures by Piacenza artist Christian Zucconi.

The project was born from the desire to highlight the importance of the Sibyls in the Piacenza context, who are depicted in various places of worship in the city , such as in the Cathedral of Piacenza, on the sixteenth-century dome of Santa Maria di Campagna and in the Basilica of San Francesco.

The juxtaposition between seventeenth-century painting and modern sculptural works aims to create a temporal connection that reinforces the sense of continuity, physicality, and topicality of the Sibylline myth, both in local and universal artistic production.

The juxtaposition with the sibylline sculptures of Christian Zucconi, born in 1978, made of Persian red travertine and iron, are not simple accompaniments, but represent the actualization of the myth through a sculptural language that explores its psychological and symbolic dimensions.

All these works, taken together, offer a journey that begins in Piacenza and passes through Pordenone, Malosso, Guercino, and Domenichino, arriving at the contemporary sculpture and sound of Zucconi, demonstrating the vitality and resonance of the Sibylline myth as a universal prophetic archetype that resonates through the centuries.

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Opening hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm
Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10am-6pm
Closed on Mondays

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Tickets

• full price: EUR 10.00
• reduced*: EUR 7.00
• schools - youth (6-25 years): EUR 4.00
• free*: EUR 0.00

*For a complete list of categories entitled to reduced or free admission, please contact the ticket office .

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Museum visits for schools and everyone during the Christmas period

On this occasion , the Civic Museums of Piacenza are opening their doors to schools, offering guided tours of the exhibition from Tuesday 9 December to Thursday 18 December , excluding Saturdays and Sundays.

The visits, led by guides from the Malena Society, will be organized in two "slots":

• 1st shift from 10 to 11
• 2nd shift from 11am to 12pm

The cost of the exhibition ticket is €4.00/student - 1 accompanying adult free

Reservations are required and confirmation from schools must be made within 48 hours of the event.

Guided Tours Also, during the Christmas period, from December 7th to January 11th, every Sunday and public holiday at 5:00 pm, the Civic Museums offer citizens a free guided tour included in the cost of the exhibition entrance ticket.

Reservations are also required for these visits.

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Contact for information

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