Abstract

In an increasingly multi-ethnic society, cultural heritage - characterized by blended processes and continuous integrations - is an effective vehicle for acknowledging and deepening understanding of both identity and cultural diversity. Italian museums are experimenting with innovative ways of promoting the cultural participation of Italy's newly-arrived citizens. For its «Unedited History. Iran 1960-2014» exhibition, the Educational Department of the MAXXI museum in Rome asked members of the Iranian community living in the city to offer a shared interpretation of their most recent heritage. The result was the museum's first intercultural mediation project devoted to a temporary exhibition. Participants of different ages, backgrounds and professions examined a selection of works and artists, and wrote personal stories inspired by the works on display, to narrate a private experience linked to collective feelings. These life experiences allow us to read the exhibition from a different point of view, and accompany visitors along an itinerary defined by voices «other» than the institutional ones of the museum.