On Saturday, March 9, the façade of the National Museum of Abruzzo on Via Tancredi da Pentima will be illuminated in pink from 6:00 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. to raise awareness of women’s health. This continues the symbolic relay of solidarity between state museums, which each month, from December to May, are illuminated in pink to raise awareness of the importance of breast cancer prevention and rediscover the most beautiful sites of Italy’s cultural heritage, as envisioned in the Collaboration Agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Komen Italia.
After the Colosseum Archaeological Park, the Borghese Gallery, and the Royal Palace of Caserta—protagonists of the October 2023 prevention campaign—the new illumination cycle was inaugurated in December by the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto and the Archaeological Park of Sepino, followed in 2024 by the Royal Museums of Turin. The baton has now been passed to the Museum of Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, and the MuNDA – National Museum of Abruzzo.
The Project
The initiative is part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Culture and Komen Italia, the nonprofit organization at the forefront of the fight against breast cancer. It will continue monthly, with the aim of maintaining high awareness on the issue and involving cultural venues throughout the country, until the resumption of awareness campaigns in May 2024, which will also include the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Komen Italia’s Race for the Cure.
The project kicked off during International Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2023, in which the Ministry of Culture and Komen Italia participated with the campaign “Prevention is our Masterpiece,” identifying a strength in the unity of the themes of care and well-being that can arise from cultural experiences. During the campaign, which featured the Venus Callipygia, a splendid 2nd-century marble sculpture on loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the Colosseum, the Borghese Gallery, and the Royal Palace of Caserta were illuminated in pink. On that occasion, Komen Italia supporters were able to wear the Pink Ribbon, a symbol of prevention, and enjoy free admission throughout the month of October to the state museums covered by the Memorandum of Understanding.
This important solidarity campaign will continue throughout the winter and into next spring, turning numerous cultural sites across Italy pink. The new series of events will kick off on Saturday, December 9th, at the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, followed on December 16th by the Sepino Archaeological Park, which will illuminate its evocative ancient theater in pink. The illuminations will continue each month, like a relay race among the state’s cultural sites, and will conclude in May with the Roman museums, during the Race for the Cure in the capital.
Cultural sites involved
- National Archaeological Museum of Taranto
- Sepino Archaeological Park
- Royal Museums of Turin
- Palace of Caserta
- National Museum of Abruzzo
- National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
- National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari
- National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art
- National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo
- National Museum of Musical Instruments
- Pantheon
Komen Italia
Over the past 25 years, Komen Italia, thanks in part to the Race for the Cure initiative, has raised over €26 million to offer women free diagnostic screenings for breast cancer and other women’s cancer prevention, establish multi-year study awards for young clinicians and researchers, hold refresher and advanced training seminars for healthcare workers, students, and women’s associations, launch multi-year projects to strengthen treatment options for women dealing with breast cancer, provide financial support to women’s health care projects conducted by other associations, and create two new spaces. Clinical and educational programs for women with breast cancer: the “Komen Italia Center for Integrated Treatments in Oncology” at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome and the “Donne al Centro” multipurpose space at the Bellaria Hospital in Bologna.
The funds raised also contribute to the activities of the Prevention Caravan, Komen Italia’s National Traveling Program for Women’s Health Promotion, which offers free awareness-raising and prevention activities for the main gender-related oncology diseases to a growing audience. The six high-tech Mobile Units, in collaboration with the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, have held more than 800 “Women’s Health Promotion Days” in 17 Italian regions, offering free medical services to over 270,000 women, with particular attention to those experiencing social vulnerability or living in poverty.
