The Forty-Eight by Faustino Joli: painting the Risorgimento between

The Forty-Eight by Faustino Joli. Painting the Risorgimento between Bologna and Brescia

Where: Museo civico del Risorgimento, Civic Museums Sector, Municipality of Bologna.

When: 11 April – 19 July 2026. Opening ceremony on Friday 10 April 2026 at 17:00 (free entry).

This exhibition examines the work of Faustino Joli (Brescia, 1814–1876), an artist who recorded key episodes of the Risorgimento with documentary accuracy. The display brings together major canvases, a rarely seen set of 77 military figure studies on cardboard, and contemporary sketches, offering both an artistic and historical perspective on the events that contributed to Italian unification.

Highlights

• Le dieci giornate a San Barnaba by Joli, shown in Bologna for the first time through collaboration with Fondazione Brescia Musei;
• A series of 77 military figure studies on cardboard, important for understanding period uniforms and details;
• Original sketches from Joli's notebook held at the Biblioteca Queriniana in Brescia;
• Works in dialogue, including Gaetano Belvederi's Cacciata degli austriaci da Porta Galliera and original 1848 uniforms and objects from the museum's collection.

Supporting events and guided tours

• Opening: Friday 10 April 2026, 17:00 (free entry) – with reenactors presenting the figure studies and historically accurate uniforms;
• Sunday 12 April 2026, 11:00 – guided tour with Otello Sangiorgi;
• Sunday 10 May 2026, 11:00 – guided tour with Isabella Stancari;
• Sunday 7 June 2026, 11:00 – guided tour with Isabella Stancari;
• Sunday 5 July 2026, 11:00 – guided tour with Otello Sangiorgi;
• Thursday 23 April 2026, 16:00 – special visit at the Certosa Monumental Cemetery: "È successo un Quarantotto! Stories and people of the spring of nations" (reservation required at [email protected]; meeting point: main entrance, via della Certosa 18).

Practical information

Opening hours: Tuesday and Thursday 09:00–13:00; Friday 15:00–19:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00–18:00. Special hours: Saturday 25 April and Tuesday 2 June 10:00–19:00. Closed Monday, Wednesday and 1 May.

Admission: full €5 | reduced €3. Guided tours require the museum entrance ticket.

The exhibition is curated by Isabella Stancari and Otello Sangiorgi and is accompanied by a concise brochure-format catalogue. Curator-led tours will be available during the exhibition run.