MAXXI Med to Open in Messina, Focusing on Mediterranean Art and Culture

A new branch of the MAXXI museum, named MAXXI Med, will open in Messina, Sicily, following a protocol signed in Rome in July 2023 by Alessandro Giuli (president of the MAXXI Foundation), Federico Basile (mayor of Messina), and Salvatore Cuzzocrea (rector of the University of Messina). The museum will be housed in two locations: the 19th-century Villa Pace (rebuilt in 1915 after the 1908 earthquake), owned by the university, and the Morandi Towers, an industrial archaeology complex in the Torre Faro district completed between 1954 and 1955 by engineer Riccardo Morandi. The towers were originally part of an electricity pylon connecting Sicily and Calabria, abandoned since 1994. MAXXI Med aims to promote the creative energy of Mediterranean art and architecture, foster intercultural dialogue between Europe, the Maghreb, and the Middle East, and serve as a research and training center for new cultural professionals. Villa Pace will host high-formation courses and artist residencies. A feasibility study for the restoration and functional adaptation of the buildings will be conducted, with collaboration from international institutions.