A masterpiece of Renaissance military architecture, the Fortezza da Basso has been Florence's main exhibition centre since 1967, strategically located in the immediate vicinity of the city centre and the Santa Maria Novella railway station.
Thanks to the evocative charm it exudes recalling the splendour of the era of the Medici governments, it is the ideal place to host a cultural event such as the Florence Biennale.
It is a unique location that alternates perfectly restored historical rooms with modern spaces such as the Spadolini Pavilion.
Access to the pavilions and interior spaces is made possible thanks to the presence of three vehicle and pedestrian entrances (Porta Santa Maria Novella, Porta Faenza and Porta Mugnone) and two pedestrian entrances (Porta alle Carra and Porta Soccorso alla Campagna).
Accessibility for people with mobility difficulties is guaranteed in all areas of the facilities open to the public.
The 11th edition of the Florence Biennale will be held in the Spadolini Pavilion - Ground Floor. Erected between 1974 and 1976 to a design by the Florentine architect Pierluigi Spadolini, it is the main building for congress and exhibition use in Florence, a multifunctional space of great versatility due to its large open spaces, within one of the city's most important monumental complexes.
It is precisely in the spaces of the Spadolini Pavilion that the more than 400 artists from all the world's continents will gather. Most of them have ensured their physical presence, with their works on display and their desire to tell their stories and meet the public, personally and without intermediaries.
Visitors will thus have the opportunity to get to know the author of a work they find particularly interesting, the story behind a painting or a sculpture, understand the process of making an installation or a digital work. All this narrated by the living voice of the artist, author of the work itself.
A rare occasion in the panorama of art exhibitions, one more reason to visit the Florence Biennale.
Veronica Iodice
