Gucci funds €1.6M restoration of Rome's Tarpeian Rock

Gucci has announced a €1.6 million restoration project for the Tarpeian Rock (Rupe Tarpea) and the Belvedere Garden on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, with completion expected in 2021, coinciding with the fashion house's centenary. The project, titled 'Rupe Tarpea, tra leggenda e futuro,' is promoted by Roma Capitale in partnership with the Sovraintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali. It includes conservation of gardens closed to the public for years, enhancement of green areas, recovery of panoramic viewpoints, and full accessibility to the site. The announcement follows Gucci's Cruise 2020 fashion show at the Musei Capitolini in May 2019. Creative director Alessandro Michele and CEO Marco Bizzarri emphasized the brand's commitment to Rome, where Michele was born and the company's style office is located. The restoration aligns with Gucci's previous cultural projects, including work at Boboli Gardens in Florence and archaeological parks in Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Selinunte. Claudio Parisi Presicce, director of the Musei Capitolini, and Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, Sovrintendente Capitolina, highlighted the project's importance for public access and historical understanding of the Capitoline Hill, a site linked to Rome's earliest history. The Tarpeian Rock was historically used for executing traitors by throwing them into the Roman Forum below.