Across Italy, new shows from early Renaissance to 1960s

And 'Sardinian Postcards', by photographer Alessandro Toscano

(ANSA) - Rome, July 24 - A number of major exhibits are opening across Italy over the weekend. The art showcased ranges from 13th and 14th century painting in the Marche town of Fabriano to Italian interior design in the 1930s-1960s in the hip beach resort of Forte dei Marmi to photo portraits of Sardinia by Alessandro Toscano in Cagliari. Over 100 masterworks from the 13th and 14th centuries from the central Italian regions of Marche and Umbria will be on show at Fabriano's Pinacoteca Civica Bruno Molajoli as well as in the churches of Sant'Agostino and San Domenico and in the Cathedral of San Venanzio from July 26 through November 30.

Rare paintings, frescoes, sculptures, miniatures, manuscripts, gold jewellery and altarpieces on loan from major Italian museums will be on display. The show 'From Giotto to Gentile, painting and sculpture in Fabriano during the 1200s and 1300s', curated by art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, provides a unique insight into little-known Medieval masterpieces.

The interesting selection is showcased across town, which is surrounded by ancient monasteries and abbeys spread across the surrounding valleys - a breath-taking location that inspired many of the anonymous painters on display. These masters have painted many of the beautiful frescoes in the little churches spread over the mountains near Fabriano. Among the artists on show is local 14th century painter Allegretto Nuzi, who travelled to Tuscany in 1348 during a plague pandemic and painted the Madonna dell'Umiltà - also portrayed by his pupil in Fabriano, Francescuccio di Cecco Ghissi, in the sumptuous style that made him appreciated by local patrons.

In Forte dei Marmi, the exhibit 'An artist's' room. Italian design in 1930-1960' opening Thursday until September 14 at Villa Bertelli showcases Italian design and interior decoration from that period. Each room in the building is inspired by a specific time frame and decorated with pieces designed by famous architects. The selection includes a hotel room designed by Gio Ponti in 1964, a dining room decorated by Ico Parisi in 1952 and a bedroom from a 1939 project by Maurizio Tempestini. The objective of the exhibit is to highlight key changes in interior decoration as conceived by leading Italian designers and architects from the 1930s until the economic boom after World War II in Italy. A number of important private collections are showcased with unique pieces including armchairs, tables, closets, barstools and vanity tables to re-create a room's interiors as they were originally planned.

The show provides an insight into the history of the Italian designs that have made the country famous worldwide. A solo exhibit by photographer Alessandro Toscano called 'Sardinian Postcards' will be hosted at the Cagliari cultural centre from July 25 to September 21. Toscano has been documenting his native island since 2011, providing an insight into Sardinia that goes beyond its lush beaches, traditional festivals and local folklore to reveal an ancient land silently and mysteriously changing.