Roundup: Italian museums hope for closer dialogue with Chinese counterparts

ROME, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Italian museums seek to deepen dialogue with Chinese museums to facilitate mutual learning between civilizations, some curators and experts of renowned Italian museums have said.

Chiara Squarcina, science director of the Venice Museum Foundation, who has curated numerous China-related exhibitions in Italy, told Xinhua that while Italy and China share many cultural and historical similarities, they also differ in their ways of understanding the world.

These connections and contrasts, she said, create valuable opportunities for Italian audiences to deepen their understanding of Chinese civilization.

She took Marco Polo, the famous Italian explorer who first traveled to ancient China, as an example, saying that the legendary figure is a representative of connecting the West and the East, and a perfect guide to lead the audience to understand China's history and culture in ancient times.

The major exhibition "The Worlds of Marco Polo" was successfully launched in Venice's renowned Palazzo Ducale in April 2024, and concluded its following show in China's Shanghai Museum in March 2025. It is seen as an excellent example of Sino-Italian museum cooperation, showing Chinese artefacts and history to the world and bringing Marco Polo's adventure to the Chinese audience.

There is still great potential to explore through future exhibitions, Squarcina added, "For instance, ceramics and glassworks are among the artistic formats that both countries have long traditions in."

"We expect to keep dialogues with China's museums, institutions and universities" to deepen cultural and historical exchanges, she said.

Vincenzo Calvanese, the engineering officer of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, told Xinhua that the park welcomes more cooperation from China.

"Just months ago we had experts from China visiting Pompeii," said Calvanese, adding that the park is always open to Chinese professionals.

The Archaeological Park of Pompeii is an open-air "museum" that allows visitors to walk around the ancient Roman city that was buried after the eruption of Volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. According to the Italian Ministry of Culture, Pompeii is ranked third in Italy with more than 4 million visitors in 2024.

"Pompeii shows the daily life of ordinary people thousands of years ago, and this is more impressive than those of royals and kings," he said, adding visitors can see how bread was made in a bakery or how homes were arranged, and these details that offer a vivid glimpse into ancient life make Pompeii unique.

"Museums are important for all of us because we learn history from museums, avoid making similar mistakes again in the future, and learn how to do things better," he said. Enditem