Corriere della Sera notes the opening of the last ten rooms to be renovated in Palazzo Barberini. This Roman Palazzo is the home of the museum of Italian art  from the 12th Century through the Neoclassicist period and houses many masterpieces.  The entire renovation has led to a more logical grouping and displaying of the works of art.  Strangely for its size, location and contents, it is not a particularly crowded museum – especially worth a visit.

An article in Il Sole 24 Ore highlights a new exhibition of drawings at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence saying that it is a show that is not to be missed.  It includes over 100 drawings by some of the best-known artists of the time, ranging from Fra’ Angelico to Michelangelo to Titian.  The article points out that the show illustrates the function of drawings of that era:  not to be hung on walls as decorative objects, but as a way of presenting and storing ideas, of passing on “goods” to children and students, as presents for other artists or patrons, as depictions of events, or even as drafts for paintings.

The Scuderie of the Quirinal Palace are hosting a retrospective dedicated to the Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto.  A series of articles in Corriere della Sera discuss the show which gathers together some 60 of Lotto’s works.  Lotto was always overshadowed by Titian and Rafael – Vasari only dedicated one page of his history to this artist.  In fact, Lotto’s works are notable for their colors, the contrasts between light and shadow, the movement in the composition and the psychological insight into his subjects.  The show is sure to be a blockbuster given that over 25,000 reservations to see it had been made prior to its opening!