FERRARA INTERNATIONAL RESTORATION FAIR 2026
Tuesday 12 May 2026, from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm in the Sala De Chirico, Hall 5

CONFERENCE
THE HISTORY OF THE OLIMPICHETTO IN VICENZA
The Study, Survey, Restoration and Installation

In 2025, an artefact dating from 1948 was discovered, reproducing the scene of the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza almost on a 1:1 scale: the so-called Olimpichetto.
Commissioned by the director Guido Salvini to be taken around the world, it was then forgotten for decades.
Now back in the spotlight, thanks to a restoration and its first re-staging in the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza at the end of 2025, it is now ready to resume its role as an ambassador of Italian culture, a role it had already played for decades on the international stage.
Olimpichetto is not merely a reproduction, but an opportunity to explore and experiment with traditional and contemporary construction techniques for ephemeral structures.
The conference recounts the adventure of a historical, material and cultural rediscovery, and of the first experimental re-staging in an extraordinary historical setting.

Speakers

Valeria Cafà, Director of the Civic Museums of Vicenza
Olimpichetto, a travelling exhibition

Barbara D'Incau, ENGIM Veneto
The restoration of the Olimpichetto

Marcella Gabbiani, Gabbiani & Associati Studio di Architettura
The design and installation of the exhibition "Olimpichetto. The Return of an Ambassador"

Francesco Rizzi, ENGIM Veneto
The material analysis of the work and the chemical and physical analyses

Organised by CMR
Under the patronage of ALA Assoarchitetti & Ingegneri

Download the poster