In the previous article, we discussed the main attraction to the beautiful spa town of Monsummano Terme in Tuscany, which is the spa resort and cave system with natural hot springs and therapeutic steam of Grotta Giusti. While this is the main attraction and soaking in the waters, going for a facial, having a massage, trying out cave-diving in the thermal waters, and more all are things that anyone who has found a vacation rental in Monsummano Terme must pencil in during their visit, there are some other great things to see and do in town. One of these other wonderful attractions in Monsummano Terme is the excellent Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento.
The Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento, or Museum of Contemporary and Twentieth Century Art (also known as Mac, n), is an excellent museum located inside the pretty and historic Villa Renatico Martini in Monsummano Terme. Opened to the public in 2000, the museum hosts a permanent collection, the Civic Collection, that is made up of paintings, other graphic works, engravings, videos, photographs, installations, sculptures, and more, created with different techniques and materials, largely by Italian artists from the 20th century onwards. Artists represented in this collection include Pietro Annigoni, Vinicio Berti, Ferdinando Chevrier, Lamberto Pignotti, Eugenio Miccini, and Ketty La Rocca and there are works by international artists also on display including works from France, Holland, Greece, and more. In addition to this fixed collection, the museum regularly holds temporary exhibitions and events.
The Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento, or Museum of Contemporary and Twentieth Century Art (also known as Mac, n), is an excellent museum located inside the pretty and historic Villa Renatico Martini in Monsummano Terme. Opened to the public in 2000, the museum hosts a permanent collection, the Civic Collection, that is made up of paintings, other graphic works, engravings, videos, photographs, installations, sculptures, and more, created with different techniques and materials, largely by Italian artists from the 20th century onwards. Artists represented in this collection include Pietro Annigoni, Vinicio Berti, Ferdinando Chevrier, Lamberto Pignotti, Eugenio Miccini, and Ketty La Rocca and there are works by international artists also on display including works from France, Holland, Greece, and more. In addition to this fixed collection, the museum regularly holds temporary exhibitions and events.
Villa Renatico Martini, the seat of the Mac, n, was built around 1887 by the architects Spighi and Vivarelli and was originally home to Ferdinando Martini. A well-known politician and man of letters who was born in Florence in 1841 and came from a family with many different holdings in the area, he famously spent lots of time in the great library that he accumulated at Villa Martini. An architectural delight in an eclectic 19th century style, the villa is a wonderful gem and attraction in its own right; a place to marvel at as you wander around. Martini passed away in 1928 and the Municipality of Monsummano Terme later acquired the property. From 1988, it played host to various kinds of different cultural exhibitions organised in collaboration between the municipal administration of Monsummano Terme and numerous important cultural institutes locally and nationally. In 2000, it became the seat of the Museum of Contemporary and Twentieth Century Art and was closed briefly for refurbishment in the 2000s before being reopened to the public in 2005. In recent years, the collection has been greatly expanded due to donations from artists, and their families, as well as collectors and enthusiasts who have wanted to enrich the museum. Today, the Mac, n has become an integral cultural fixture of the area and hosts the permanent collection as well as a diverse calendar of regular, varied, and fascinating temporary exhibitions (such as one about anime in 2018 and a current virtual exhibition of works by Yorgos Giotsas that is the museum's response to the temporary closure of cultural institutions during the on-going pandemic and a display of their will to thrive and continue no matter what), musical events and concerts, theatrical performances, conferences, and more.
So, if you find yourself in this part of Tuscany and you have found a vacation rental in Monsummano Terme, between your visits to the spa and the various adventures that can be had in the area, be sure and come to have a wander around this exceptional local museum – you never know what you might find if you do!
So, if you find yourself in this part of Tuscany and you have found a vacation rental in Monsummano Terme, between your visits to the spa and the various adventures that can be had in the area, be sure and come to have a wander around this exceptional local museum – you never know what you might find if you do!
