(24 March 2016) “Ancient cities and landscapes of Albania. One hundred years of Italian-Albanian archaeological missions” is an exhibition that will be inaugurated in Tirana on 12 April and will remain in the halls of the National Historic Museum until 20 May. The exhibition is organized by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Embassy, in collaboration with the National History Museum, the Institute of Archaeology of Tirana and the Universities of Bari, Bologna, Chieti, Ferrara, Foggia and Macerata. Giuseppe Lepore is the curator of the exhibition and annexed catalog, to be published by Edipuglia; the set up is by Frida Pashako, and videos by Uzinaliquida. The Goal of the event is to present to the public the main results of a collaboration between Italy and Albania in the field of archaeological research, celebrating its almost secular history. From the first contacts at the dawn of the 20th century to the latest research, the presence of Italian archeologists in Albania has become increasingly important, especially in the past two decades as it has been an essential step in the qualification of relations between the two countries. The exhibition consists of display panels, divided into sections. Some windows will showcase house artifacts found during the archaeological missions, now preserved at the Museum of Gjirokastra, Durres and the National Historical Museum. A video and a bilingual catalog will accompany the exhibition. A conference will precede the inauguration ceremony, attended by the heads of the Italian archaeological missions: Roberta Belli (Politecnico di Bari), Sandro De Maria (Università di Bologna), Marco Peresani (Università di Ferrara), Roberto Perna (Università di Macerata), Sara Santoro (Università di Chieti), and Giuliano Volpe (Università di Foggia). (Red)
