Lo studiolo dell’Anima. Per amore e libertà

“Lo studiolo dell’Anima. Per amore e libertà” From 19 November to 31 December 2026, at the Augustan Aqueduct of Serino in Naples, an exhibition tells the story of love, longing and freedom through the letters of a couple separated by war. Naples, 13 October 2026 – A love story unfolds against the backdrop of the Second World War and reaches the eve of the birth of the Italian Republic, whose 80th anniversary is being celebrated in 2026. This is the subject of the exhibition “Lo studiolo dell’Anima. Per amore e libertà”, opening on Thursday 19 November at 6.30 pm at the Augustan Aqueduct of Serino (Via Arena della Sanità 5, Naples). The exhibition presents the Fusco family’s collection of letters, a series of handwritten and typewritten correspondence documenting the years from 1940 to 1946. The initiative is organised by VerginiSanità Association with the support of the Campania Region. The exhibition retraces the story of Luigi S. and Maria G., known as Ria, through the letters they exchanged during the years of war and imprisonment. Having left in 1940, Luigi is forced to postpone their wedding and live far from the woman he loves. The correspondence, of which Luigi’s voice is the one most extensively preserved, recounts the long wait for their reunion and conveys, through a family story, the experience of separation and uncertainty. In his early letters, Luigi describes himself as a “bird in a cage”. In March 1946, as his return to Italy draws closer, this image becomes that of a “bird freed from its cage”. A few weeks later, the referendum of 2 June would mark the birth of the Italian Republic and the extension of voting rights to women at national level. The story of Luigi and Ria thus intertwines with a pivotal moment in the country’s history, eighty years on. Curated by Chiara Cesari, the exhibition stems from the archival collection preserved by Stefano Fusco, a founding member of VerginiSanità Association and the nephew of Luigi S. and Maria G. The exhibition unfolds through documents, tables and objects evoked in the letters, following three key moments: the anticipation of the wedding, war and silence, and the return in 1946. The installation engages in a dialogue with the Augustan Aqueduct of Serino, whose underground structures were used as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War. The site thus helps connect family memory with that of the city, and with a history that continues to resonate in the present. To guide visitors through the archival collection, a QR code has been created, allowing them to access transcriptions of the letters and historical and critical insights prepared for the exhibition on their smartphones. These digital tools offer further ways of interpreting the correspondence, helping visitors explore the story of Luigi and Ria and the historical context in which it unfolds. “With this exhibition, we wanted to give a voice to a family story that had remained preserved in an archive of letters for decades. Through Luigi’s letters, we follow the contrast between the loss of freedom during the war and the strength of a bond that withstands distance. Writing becomes a testimony to an individual experience and, at the same time, a means of bringing us closer to the collective memory of those years. Luigi’s return in 1946 finally opens up a prospect of freedom and a future,” says curator Chiara Cesari. The exhibition is promoted by VerginiSanità APS, in collaboration with Archivio Lembo and Per Le Arti Edizioni, with graphic design by Giuseppe Rosario Esposito, also known as Bontadis. The initiative is supported by the Campania Region as part of the 2026 Cultural Promotion Plan. “Lo studiolo dell’Anima. Per amore e libertà” will be open to visitors until 31 December 2026, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm, with last admission at 12.30 pm. Admission is free. The Augustan Aqueduct of Serino Built in the early years of the 1st century AD, the Augustan Aqueduct of Serino is an impressive feat of Roman engineering, extending for approximately 100 kilometres from the springs of Serino to the Piscina Mirabilis in Miseno. In the Vergini-Sanità district, sections of the aqueduct’s channel bridges, buried following floods and later used as foundations for new buildings, were discovered in 2011 beneath Palazzo Peschici-Maresca. These sections, characterised by pillars and arches made of brick and tuff, are an important archaeological feature. Used over the centuries as a cellar, an air-raid shelter and a dumping ground, the site has been open to the public since 2015 and is managed by VerginiSanità Association, which is working on a comprehensive programme to recover and enhance the area’s historical heritage and promote contemporary artistic and cultural production. Exhibition details “Lo studiolo dell’Anima. Per amore e libertà” Curated by Chiara Cesari 19 November – 31 December 2026 Opening: Thursday 19 November 2026, 6.30 pm Augustan Aqueduct of Serino VerginiSanità APS Via Arena della Sanità 5, Naples Opening hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am–1 pm (last admission 12.30 pm) Free admission Information and reservations: Tel. +39 377 3817089 Promoted by VerginiSanità APS In collaboration with Archivio Lembo and Per Le Arti Edizioni Graphic design by Giuseppe Rosario Esposito, also known as Bontadis Archival collection preserved by Paola and Stefano Fusco, Luigi and Maria’s nephews With the support of the Campania Region Press Office Valentina Monarco Tel. +39 329 7790580 Email: [email protected]