Showcasing more than a thousand Italian ceramic works, from ancient vases and laggioni tiles from the 15th century to pieces by contemporary artists, including Art Deco master Manlio Trucco, this sprawling exhibition is housed between the newly restored 15th-century Palazzo del Monte di Pietà and the nearby Palazzo Gavotti, making the magnificent buildings as worthy of a visit as the works within. *Museo della Ceramica, MUSA – Museo d’Arte di Palazzo Gavotti,**Palazzo Gavotti, Piazza Chabrol, 1-2, Savona, +39 019 831 0256 *
Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968, Rome
Rome’s MAXXI museum, built to celebrate 21st-century art and architecture, is going retro with an exhibition that pays homage to the icons of Italian fashion. On display will be pieces from Fendi, Ferragamo, Emilio Pucci and Valentino as Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion recalls the best of the nation’s couture from 1945 to 1968. More than 80 outfits are on display, as well as images and film that helped define this golden age of Italian style. Highlights include 1950s Bulgari pieces, gowns designed for Kim Novak, Sophia Loren and Ingrid Bergman, and the green satin Valentino gown worn by Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968, MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Via Guido Reni 4A, Rome. Until May 3. +39 06 322 5178
Leonardo Da Vinci will be celebrated in style at Milan’s Expo 2015, with hundreds of thousands of art lovers expected on his birthday, 15 April, at Palazzo Reale, next to the Duomo. More than 100 sketches, manuscripts and designs will be on show with his famous paintings, including three loaned masterpieces: La Belle Ferronnière, also known as Portrait of an Unknown Woman (on loan from The Louvre); The Annunciation (from the Uffizi); and La Madonna Dreyfus (from the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC). Leonardo 1452-1519, 15 April to 19 July, Palazzo Reale, Piazza del Duomo, 12, Milan
