The Greeting by Bill Viola in the Roman Forum. Homage to Pontormo: through Saturday, February 6, 2027

Bill Viola's video installation «The Greeting» is on view at Santa Maria Antiqua, in the Roman Forum, from Sunday, October 11, 2026 to Saturday, February 6, 2027. Its full title is «The Greeting di Bill Viola nel Foro Romano. Omaggio a Pontormo» (Bill Viola's The Greeting in the Roman Forum: Homage to Pontormo); admission is by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo ticket.

Updated November 6, 2026.

The event

The work, made by Bill Viola (1951-2024) for the US Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale, finds a place in the spaces of Santa Maria Antiqua, among the most layered and spiritually dense in the Roman Forum, with their palimpsests of Byzantine and early medieval frescoes. The installation is by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo with Electa, on the occasion of the major monographic exhibition on Pontormo at the Scuderie del Quirinale.

«The Greeting» was inspired by Pontormo's «Visitation» (1528-1532), kept in the Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo in Carmignano, which depicts the meeting of Mary, expecting Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist, under the gaze of two other female figures. Viola does not restage the biblical episode: he draws on Pontormo's composition, colors and emotional resonance.

With a special 35 mm film camera able to shoot 300 frames per second, he films the very brief, 45-second meeting of two and then three women in brightly colored modern clothes, moving with choreographic grace. Gestures, expressions and glances are stretched over ten minutes, slowed to reveal an inner depth that real time does not let us perceive.

Viola was a pioneer of new media, video art and installation art; for 45 years his environments focused on fundamental experiences such as birth, death and the unfolding of consciousness. In Italy he has exhibited, among other places, at Palazzo delle Esposizioni (2008), Palazzo Strozzi (2017), Palazzo Bonaparte (2022) and Palazzo Reale in Milan (2023).

Where it takes place: Santa Maria Antiqua, Foro Romano

Santa Maria Antiqua is a church in the Roman Forum with its layers of Byzantine and early medieval frescoes. The site is part of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, like the Colosseum and the Palatine. The Pontormo exhibition is at the Scuderie del Quirinale.

Practical information

• Dates: from Sunday, October 11, 2026 to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
• Venue: Santa Maria Antiqua, Roman Forum (Park entrances: Largo della Salara Vecchia, Via di San Teodoro, Via del Tulliano, Via Sacra, Via di San Gregorio).
• Tickets: Forum Pass Super full price 18 euros, 2 euros reduced for EU citizens aged 18 to 25; Full Experience 24 euros (32 euros after December 31, 2026); free with Membership Card.
• Hours of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo from October 25, 2026 to February 28, 2027: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., last entry 3:30 p.m.; closed on December 25 and January 1; free admission on the first Sunday of the month. Official online ticket office of the Park.
• Getting there: use the ATAC route planner.

Frequently asked questions about The Greeting by Bill Viola in the Roman Forum. Homage to Pontormo

What is «The Greeting»?

A video installation by Bill Viola inspired by Pontormo's «Visitation».

How long is the video?

The 45-second meeting is stretched over ten minutes.

Where is it?

At Santa Maria Antiqua, in the Roman Forum.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

Planning a trip to Rome? The English guides to visit the city are on ItalyPlanner.com.