Napoli's MANN Museum Lights Up Facade for Christmas 2020

From December 8, 2020, the MANN – Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli projects three large beams of light onto the city of Naples, with colored lights and the Italian flag to follow. The initiative aims to symbolically connect with the community during the pandemic. Despite museum closures since November 3, the MANN continues digital activities, including a weekly Christmas quiz on Facebook with an OpenMANN family pass as prize. Director Paolo Giulierini stated the lights symbolize life returning and the museum's role in keeping the historic center alive. Separately, the Voiello pasta brand launched the Voiello Digital Storytelling Lab project, a video mapping on Castel dell'Ovo by video artist Franz Cerami and students from the University of Suor Orsola Benincasa. From December 22, for 11 days, four animated works (Magica I., Magica II., Fire., Lumina) reinterpret the Neapolitan tradition of Smorfia and superstition. Cerami emphasized the need to reinterpret Naples' cultural heritage in contemporary forms.