Abstract

The Nemi Museum of Roman Ships falls stands out not only for its historical and archaeological content, but the splendid architecture of the building itself, a spectacular conception of Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo. Following the loss of the Museum’s original contents, later interventions have gradually reshaped its layout. These were based on a variety of criteria and exhibition approaches, at times lacking coherence between them. Given its grandeur and harmonious interaction with the surrounding landscape, the Museum building emanates a magnetic aura. It can be seen as a “Museum for what’s no moreµ. Its imposing bare spaces serve as a poignant reminder of what was lost to the fire of 1944. The upcoming exhibition project aims to restore Vittorio Morpurgo’s original, and innovative, spatial vision. This spatiality was perceived as a colossal twin “display caseµ for the two ships salvaged from the lake. Today’s project also needs to address the Museum’s relationship with its surrounding cultural landscape, and re-evoke the presence of the two massive ships that are no longer with us.