Padova's Ex-Cinema Altino Reopens as Carraro Foundation Art Center

After twenty years of closure, the former Cinema Altino in Padova will be transformed into a new cultural institution by the Fondazione Chiara e Francesco Carraro. Designed by futurist architect Quirino De Giorgio and inaugurated in 1951, the modernist building has been under a monumental protection order since 2005. The restoration, led by architect Giuseppe Cangialosi of studio mzc+, will convert the main 756-seat hall into an exhibition space and restore the lower-level Cinema Mignon as a multifunctional venue with a cinematic focus. Construction begins in July 2026 and is expected to last one year. The foundation's collection, built by Francesco Carraro and Chiara Alessandri, is one of Italy's most important private holdings of 20th-century art, featuring works by Antonio Donghi, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico, and significant sections on sculpture, historical design, and Murano glass art by Carlo Scarpa and Paolo Venini. Director Mauro Baronchelli envisions an open, dynamic, and interdisciplinary space serving the local and student community. President Enrico Carraro emphasizes the project's role in generating cultural, social, and urban value by reactivating a disused building in the historic center.