Our Collections: the ‘3 Rs
Get ready for a small journey through time.
We guide you through imperial splendors, Renaissance brilliance, and the republican dreams of independence that made Italy shine in the firmament of world history.
ANCIENT ROME
Our first collection on Ancient Rome tells the story of Gaius Julius Caesar.
The provinces multiplied, wealth poured into Rome’s treasury like a river — yet it remained in the hands of a few. The Gracchi, two young tribunes, dared to challenge the power of the patricians: they demanded land for the poor, bread for the people, justice for the forgotten. The Senate answered by having them killed, turning politics into a battlefield.
Tumultuous years followed: the civil war between Marius and Sulla, the rivalry between Pompey and Crassus — men driven more by power and legions than by the principles on which the Res Publica had been founded. Rome became a blood‑stained arena where personal ambition bent every institution.
But it was Julius Caesar who redefined Rome’s destiny: a military genius, a magnetic orator, an enlightened statesman. First he secured admission to the Senate (70 BC), beginning his political career as quaestor (cursus honorum). Then he forged a pact with Pompey and Crassus (the triumviratus) and obtained his first consulship (59 BC).
Afterwards came the command of three provinces — Illyricum, Cisalpine Gaul, and Narbonensis — and the conquest of all Transalpine Gaul (58–51 BC).
Pressed by the Optimates, he returned to Italy and crossed the Rubicon with a single legion, uttering the words that froze the Senate: Alea iacta est.
Caesar’s dictatorship lasted five years (49–44 BC). Stabbed on the Ides of March, his death shook Rome. But by then, the die was cast.
No one believed in the return of the old Republic anymore.
RENAISSANCE
Our collection on the Italian Renaissance is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo embodies the Renaissance ideal of the universal man: curious, multifaceted, and tireless in his pursuit of knowledge. Born in Vinci in 1452, the illegitimate son of a notary, he received his first training in the Florentine workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he refined his skills in drawing and painting. Yet his mind reached far beyond art.
Leonardo was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomist, botanist, cartographer, and inventor. In his famous notebooks, he sketched flying machines, bridges, weapons, and studied the human body with scientific precision. His approach was empirical: direct observation and experimentation formed the foundation of his method.
Among his most iconic works are the Mona Lisa, with its enigmatic smile, and The Last Supper, a masterpiece of composition and dramatic tension. But Leonardo sought more than beauty: he pursued harmony between art and science, between humanity and nature. His Vitruvian Man symbolizes this vision — the human being as the measure of the universe.
After moving to Milan in 1482, he worked for Ludovico il Moro, and later for the King of France, Francis I, at whose court he died in 1519. His legacy is immense: Leonardo was not only an artist but a revolutionary thinker, a precursor of modern science. His genius continues to inspire, reminding us that knowledge is born from wonder.
RISORGIMENTO
And finally, our collection on the Italian Risorgimento explores Milan during the Five Days.
Between March 18 and 22, 1848, Milan became the stage of a popular uprising that marked a turning point in the Italian Risorgimento: the Five Days. The city, then under the rule of the Austrian Empire, rose up against the garrison of Field Marshal Radetzky, giving life to an act of heroic resistance.
Discontent had been smoldering for a long time, fueled by political and social oppression. On March 18, the spark ignited: marches and barricades multiplied, bourgeois and common citizens fought side by side, armed with courage and improvisation. The streets turned into battlefields, with more than 1,600 barricades erected in just a few hours.
Leadership of the revolt soon passed to a war council led by Carlo Cattaneo, who refused any compromise with the Austrians. On March 20, a provisional government was formed — a symbol of the will for self‑determination. Despite their military superiority, Radetzky’s forces were forced to retreat on March 22, leaving Milan temporarily free.
The following day, King Charles Albert of Savoy declared war on Austria, beginning the First War of Independence.
The Five Days were not only a military victory, but a powerful act of collective will. Milan proved that a united people could challenge an empire — an episode that still embodies the courage and dignity of the struggle for freedom.