Opera Laboratori Wins Bid to Manage Bologna's Genus Bononiae Museum Circuit

Opera Laboratori, a Florence-based company with a turnover of approximately €70 million and 1,000 employees, has won the tender to manage the Genus Bononiae museum circuit in Bologna. The tender was issued in March by Fondazione Carisbo, which founded the cultural project in 2003 under the vision of Fabrizio Roversi Monaco. The circuit includes Palazzo Fava, Casa Saraceni, San Colombano – Collezione Tagliavini, Santa Maria della Vita, and San Giorgio in Poggiale – Biblioteca d'Arte e di Storia. However, Palazzo Pepoli, which housed the Museo della Storia della città, has been closed and is being transferred to the Municipality of Bologna for new projects, including a planned Museo Morandi by 2026. The circuit has faced severe financial difficulties, with revenue dropping from €12 million annually to just €3 million in the last year. The four-year partnership aims to revitalize the sites through integrated management, quality exhibitions, and sustainable operations. Fondazione Carisbo President Patrizia Pasini emphasized a new vision of museums as production centers. Opera Laboratori President Giuseppe Costa highlighted the company's 30-year experience, including managing the bookshop at MAMbo since October 2023. Meanwhile, architect Mario Bellini, who designed the Palazzo Pepoli museum installation with Italo Lupi, has protested its dismantling, invoking his moral rights and potentially blocking the city's redevelopment plans.