Saffo. Lo spirito della poesia (Sappho. The Spirit of Poetry)

From 15 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, the Farnese Aviaries on the Palatine Hill, within the Colosseum Archaeological Park, host an exhibition dedicated to the only great surviving female voice of archaic Greek literature: Sappho of Lesbos (630 BC-c. 570 BC).

The exhibition, curated by Silvia Romani, is divided into two complementary sections: the historical and poetic Sappho and the legendary and popular Sappho, in a continuous interplay of references between reality and myth, antiquity and modernity. The exhibition, promoted by the Colosseum Archaeological Park and organized by Electa, represents the second part of the exhibition project dedicated to the most modern female figures of antiquity, following on from the exhibition dedicated to Penelope (September 19, 2024 - January 12, 2025), previously hosted in the same spaces.

The first pavilion of the Aviaries is therefore dedicated to the historical figure of Sappho, reconstructed through material evidence from antiquity and the enduring legacy of her image over the centuries. Figurative vases, sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts allow visitors to explore the various representations of the Greek poet, portraying a woman aware of the immortal function of poetry, thus celebrated by the ancients as the "tenth Muse". This first nucleus is permeated by a powerful sensorial structure built around two central images of Sappho's poetic and symbolic universe: the dive and the moon. The dive - an extreme and ambivalent gesture, suspended between the idea of ​​death and immortality - is evoked as a visual and aural experience, along with the moon, a constant presence in the poetic fragments and their literary and artistic fortune. The moon becomes both an architectural and symbolic element, also through an evocative projection capable of amplifying the contemplative and nocturnal dimension of Sapphic poetry. 

The second pavilion shifts attention from the historical Sappho to her transformation into a legendary figure. Here, the numerous survivals and metamorphoses of the poet's image from the nineteenth century to contemporary popular culture are explored. Sappho gradually becomes an icon, muse, and projective figure, taking on different forms within the Art Nouveau and Art Deco imagery, Victorian culture, and subsequent, more modern reinterpretations. The exhibition thus demonstrates how her figure has been continually rewritten and adapted to the sensibilities of different eras. The design of the second pavilion also contributes to this imagery: the space takes on the appearance of an artificial, interior garden, populated by images and photographs recalling the atmosphere of nineteenth-century gardens and early modern representations of femininity. A scent of roses enhances the evocative power of the Sapphic fragments.

The Farnese Aviaries, as spaces suspended between historic architecture and garden, offer thus the ideal setting for this exhibition dedicated to the fascinating figure of Sappho, one of the greatest female poets of all time.

Photo: official poster of the exhibition