Arch of Palmyra installed for G7 Off

With the G7 Culture Summit just around the corner, a copy of the Monumental Arch of Palmyra has been installed in piazza della Signoria from March 27 to April 27, 2017.

The installation coincides with the G7 Summit, held in Palazzo Vecchio on March 30 and 31, 2017, as a symbol of the rebirth and reconstruction of humanity’s cultural heritage, continually at risk from the dangers of humankind and nature.

Concurrently, the Palazzo Vecchio is hosting a three-way dialogue between the Chimera di Arezzo, an Etruscan bronze statue found in Arezzo in 1553, a sketch of the Chimera by Baccio Bandinelli and Bandinelli’s bust of Cosimo I. The three pieces will go on display in the Sala di Leone X, where Cosimo I requested the bronze statue be displayed after its discovery. Like the Arch of Palmyra, the Chimera will remain on display until April 27, 2017, before being returned to its permanent home in the Florence Archaeological Museum.

The original triumphal arch was destroyed by Islamic State militants in October 2015, sending shockwaves throughout the international community.