Italia in Movimento
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Italia in Movimento

A century after the construction of Italy’s first motorway, MAXXI the national museum of 21st century arts in Rome – tells the story of a hundred years of travel with the exhibition Italia in Movimento. Motorways and the Future, open to the public from 6 December 2024 to 5 March 2025.

Curated by Pippo Ciorra with Angela Parente, and in collaboration with our Group, the exhibition explores how motorways have shaped the landscape, society, and cultural imagination of an entire country.

The Italian motorway is not merely an infrastructure project: it is a thread that weaves together modernity and memory, connecting places, people, and stories. From the heroic feats of the 20th century to the post-war industrial boom and on to the sustainable futures of tomorrow, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover Italy as experienced by millions of travellers through the decades.

Through archival projects, iconic photography, evolving maps, and immersive visuals, the exhibition takes visitors on a compelling space-time journey – one that traces not just the history of motorways, but the landscapes and themes they continuously engage.

The exhibition is divided into four sections, each celebrating the motorway as a key protagonist of daily life and collective storytelling.


 

Network

The motorway network is at the heart of this century-long project – a system whose primary aim is to bring people and stories closer together by connecting them with the territories they inhabit. This section illustrates the development of the motorway network through historical documents, photographs, moving images, maps, tourist guides, architectural plans, and drawings sourced from the archives of Autostrade per l’Italia and the Touring Club Italiano.

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Journey

This section offers travellers a kind of aesthetic comfort – an insight into the journey shaped by motorway services and safety features designed for users. It unfolds as an increasingly refined and thoughtful sequence of micro-architectures, rest areas, and refreshment points. From Giovanni Michelucci to Jean Nouvel, even signature architecture takes centre stage here, highlighting the important role design has played in shaping the motorway experience.

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Landscape

The photographic visions of Iwan Baan capture the essence of the motorway landscape from above, thanks to a series of helicopter surveys. Through his images, Baan documents the dynamic coexistence between Italy’s motorways and the surrounding landscape.

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Technology and the Future

Technology and environmental awareness will define the motorways of tomorrow. This section presents that vision through tangible green proposals by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) and the dreamlike imagery of Emiliano Ponzi.

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