Farm Cultural Park Opens Museum of World Cities in Palermo and Former Prison in Agrigento

Farm Cultural Park, founded by Andrea Bartoli and Florinda Saieva, celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2025 with two major openings. In Palermo, the new Museo delle Città del Mondo (Museum of World Cities) has launched in the former Convento dei Crociferi, a 400-square-meter space granted for five years by the Agenzia del Demanio. The museum features two main exhibitions, a School of Architecture for children, a thematic library, and workshop spaces, focusing on geopolitics as its primary research theme. Bartoli emphasizes the need to connect people and organizations in Palermo, aiming to position the city as a research hub on the present and future of cities. Meanwhile, in Agrigento, Farm has reopened the former San Vito prison after 45 days of work and 30 years of closure, a space that had been inaccessible for 600 years. The prison will become a cultural citadel, hosting local and international artists and organizations, with potential use as a reception center for humanitarian crises. Farm also runs the Biennale Countless Cities, whose fourth edition includes pavilions dedicated to Gaza, Nazareth, Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, and Haiti. Bartoli states that cultural organizations have a responsibility to not be neutral and to give voice to the voiceless. Looking ahead, Bartoli hopes Farm will continue for another 20-30 years and possibly expand to other parts of the world, such as Detroit.