Saffo. Lo spirito della poesia (Sappho: The Spirit of Poetry): through Sunday, January 31, 2027

The exhibition «Saffo. Lo spirito della poesia» (Sappho: The Spirit of Poetry) occupies the Farnese Aviaries on the Palatine, in the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, from October 15, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027. It is promoted by the Park and organized by Electa, curated by Silvia Romani; admission is by the Park ticket.

Updated November 6, 2026.

The event

The exhibition is devoted to the only great female voice to survive from archaic Greek literature, Sappho of Lesbos. It is the second act of the exhibition project on the most modern female figures of antiquity, continuing the show on Penelope (September 19, 2024 to January 12, 2025) held in the same spaces.

Sappho is not merely narrated: she is invoked as a presence, as the poet summoned her Aphrodite beside her at the end of the seventh century BCE. The verses become voice and body, scent and light again. The route has two cores: the historical and poetic Sappho and the legendary, popular Sappho, in a constant play of echoes between reality and myth, antiquity and modernity.

In the first pavilion of the Aviaries the focus is on the «real Sappho», reconstructed through painted vases, sculptures, paintings and manuscripts that outline a poet aware of the immortal function of poetry, celebrated by the ancients as the «tenth Muse». The layout is sensory and starts from two central images of the Sapphic imagination, the dive and the moon, with a projection that amplifies the contemplative, nocturnal dimension of the verses.

The second pavilion is devoted to the legend of Sappho and her metamorphoses from the nineteenth century to pop culture: the poet becomes icon, muse, projective figure, among Liberty and Art Deco aesthetics and Victorian imaginaries. The installation has the character of an artificial, inner garden, with images and photographs recalling nineteenth-century gardens, and a scent of rose fills the space.

Where it takes place: Uccelliere Farnesiane, Palatino (Parco archeologico del Colosseo)

The Farnese Aviaries stand on the Palatine, part of the ancient Farnese Gardens, and the Park describes them as a space suspended between historic architecture and garden. Penelope was hosted here in 2024. For the area: Roman Forum, Palatine Museum and Colosseum.

Practical information

• Dates: from October 15, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027.
• Venue: Farnese Aviaries, Palatine, Parco archeologico del Colosseo (Park entrances: Largo della Salara Vecchia, Via di San Teodoro, Via del Tulliano, Via Sacra, Via di San Gregorio).
• The exhibition is included in the regular admission ticket of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo (Roman Forum-Palatine), at no extra cost.
• Tickets: Colosseum-Roman Forum-Palatine 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 for Membership Card holders.
• 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 Saffo. Lo spirito della poesia (Sappho: The Spirit of Poetry)

Who curates the exhibition?

Silvia Romani; it is promoted by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo and organized by Electa.

What is on view?

Vases, sculptures, paintings and manuscripts in the first pavilion, and the legend of Sappho from the nineteenth century to pop in the second.

Until when is it open?

Until Sunday, January 31, 2027.

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

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