Ravenna Opens First Italian Museum Dedicated to Lord Byron

A new museum dedicated to Lord Byron has opened in Ravenna, housed in Palazzo Guiccioli where the poet lived from 1819 to 1821. The museum features multimedia installations by Studio Azzurro, which they call 'visual narratives,' bringing to life Byron's literary works and his relationship with Teresa Gamba Guiccioli. The collection includes relics preserved by Teresa—letters, jewelry, locks of hair, and even pieces of Byron's skin—as well as first editions of his works and loans from other institutions. Palazzo Guiccioli was purchased by the Fondazione in 2013 for €7 million and meticulously restored. The museum also includes the Byronmania section, The Loves of Byron, and a Risorgimento Museum showcasing paintings, sculptures, photographs, weapons, and documents from the Comune di Ravenna, Biblioteca Classense, Fondazione Spadolini Nuova Antologia, and Fondazione Bettino Craxi. Visitors can see frescoes commissioned by Byron for his study, inspired by Titian's Venus of Urbino and Danae. The palace also houses a doll museum and a garden connecting two main streets of Ravenna. Byron died in 1823 in Missolonghi, Greece, at age 36.