From December 15, 2021 to July 3, 2022 the Parco archeologico del Colosseo is dedicating a major exhibition to the figure of Giacomo Boni (Venice, 1859 – Rome, 1925) in the places where the archaeologist and architect mainly worked: the Roman Forum and the Palatine.

Curated by Alfonsina Russo, Roberta Alteri, Andrea Paribeni with Patrizia Fortini, Alessio De Cristofaro and Anna De Santis, organised and promoted by Electa, the exhibition “Giacomo Boni. L’alba della modernità” is divided into four sections:

– archaeological activity and the Museo Forense, in the Complex of Santa Maria Nova;

– the life of Boni, in the Temple of Romulus;

– the discovery of the church and the Byzantine painting cycle, in Santa Maria Antiqua and the Domitian ramp;

– the cultural and artistic context of the early 20th century, in the Farnese Aviaries.

The result is the overall vision of a self-taught man, trained as a drawer in Venetian construction sites, who in time became an archaeologist and architect, developing innovative methods of excavation – starting with stratigraphy – restoration and valorisation.
He was a keen disseminator of his archaeological discoveries, which revealed a pre-Republican and mediaeval Rome. He was also a forerunner in the field of documentation of excavations and communication through the use of photographs from above, using a hot air balloon.