The cultural centre “Monsignor Francesco Giacci” in the historic centre of Rocca Priora, is home to the permanent exhibition of the sculptor Mario Benedetto Robazza. The exhibition is a unique itinerary inspired by the XXXIV “Canti dell’Inferno” from Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The journey begins in the first exhibition room with the study in bronze titled “L’Inferno”. 13 metres of high-reliefs illustrate the descent into the Underworld of Dante and Virgilio, which, in fact, constitute the origins of Robazza’s marble masterpiece on exhibit in the courtyard. The protagonists and sinners that Dante placed in the various circles of Hell are studied in-depth in oil paintings on canvas and pencil sketches, which prepare the visitor for the exhibits in the second room where hypocrites and heretics, the irascible and the slothful, the greedy and the generous, are depicted.

The continuing studies and insights from studies in bronze to paintings and sketches find their culmination in the monumental work and true masterpiece of Robazza. Unique in its kind, it is a continuous strip of high-relief sculpture covering a surface of 90 square metres depicting the XXXIV “Canti dell’Inferno”. The powerful visual and artistic impact is second to none. Made up of 18 panels of resin-coated marble powder, the work brings to life Dante’s imaginative universe and the characters inhabiting it. Visiting the museum is like stepping into this world and seeing it almost come to life.

With an itinerary suitable for all ages and interests, visitors are also able to access a didactic room set up by the SBCR Library Consortium where it is possible to peruse fiction and non-fiction texts related to the Divine Comedy, Dante and the sculptor Robazza.

Campagna fotografica realizzata nell’ambito del progetto “Oltre Roma” e finanziata dalla Regione Lazio, Avviso Pubblico “La cultura fa sistema 2021”