PALERMO CELEBRATES 120 YEARS: HERE IS THE MUSEUM AT BARBERA
A journey into the heart of the Rosanero faith between past, present, and future.
On November 1, 1900, the first sports association of the city of Palermo was born.
Today, on the day of the 120th anniversary, the Palermo Museum is born at the Renzo Barbera stadium, the museum that traces the joys and sorrows of the more than one-hundred-year history of Palermo, its champions, its fans, its joys but also its pains. A failed inauguration, due to the health restrictions in force, but also a respected commitment to the city, which was able to purchase the celebratory stamp designed by Francesco De Grandi and issued by the Ministry of Economic Development for the occasion in the morning. and soon he will be able to visit the new “home” of the rosanero passion directly at the stadium.
Thus, between an old photo of the founding fathers and a scale model of the Renzo Barbera stadium, in the new Palermo Museum, you can experience the experience of practicing virtually with Palermo, through an immersive experience, with highly technological virtual reality viewers. Browsing through the historic shirts of Palermo, hung like real works of art in the gallery, you then find yourself “wearing” them for fun in a fun all-digital photobooth. In a special multimedia area, films of ancient and recent history scroll, mixing unforgettable videos and pieces of old news costumes in a large puzzle, while in a small “cinema” the cinematographic references to Palermo scroll, including a gag by Franco and Ciccio and a scene by Ficarra and Picone.
Space also for the Campi di Sicilia, an “exhibition within an exhibition”, created with the support of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, which retraces the city fields where the passion for football was born and developed over the decades . Then there is a special area dedicated to the Rosanero Hall of fame: a selection of the 11 players + a coach judged to be the most representative of Palermo‘s history through a survey open to all fans, with over 6,000 preferences registered in the summer of 2020.
The Palermo Museum also hosts a unique work by the artist Carlo CUT Cazzaniga: inspired by a nostalgic pop style, his work consists of a series of tables made with the fretwork technique, in which graphic design is the true protagonist. . CUT has also created 50 illustrations for the book “Eagles. The Palermo: the museum, the history, the city” (the Palindrome) by Giovanni Tarantino, on sale at the official stadium and digital store, as well as on the website of the publishing house and from 12 November in all bookstores.
It took over a year of work, marked by a special countdown mounted right on the facade of the Barbera, starting with the “call” that at the end of 2019 gathered fans, collectors and enthusiasts from all over the world. Thanks to their extraordinary contribution, unique and unobtainable memorabilia of inestimable value have been recovered: jerseys, historical photographs, photos of organized supporters, audiovisual contents, memorabilia, flags, scarves of organized supporters clubs; posters, pennants, comics, books, fanzines, magazines, tickets, newspapers and much more could testify the passion for Palermo through the material culture of cheering and collecting over the years. A careful selection of all the proposals, by the journalist, historian and scientific coordinator of the museum, Giovanni Tarantino, has allowed to create a thematic path through all the facets of cheering and the history of rosanero colors, alongside installations and experiences interactive, according to the general architectural project of Studio Mazzarella.
“Our goal – said Giovanni Tarantino – was to retrace the history of Palermo also through its failures, to render a service to history and to trace a significant constant: the” spirit “of Palermo has always survived corporate catastrophes and has risen as a ‘ Phoenix. This is already a victory, which is perhaps worth more than the many trophies that Palermo does not have and which the museum will not be able to exhibit. Because a certain “demand for Palermo” has always existed even in those circumstances in which, for short periods, the city was represented by clubs that were called differently and wore other colors. The pink and black colors are confirmed as the indelible mark of a soul that has resisted for one hundred and twenty years and which has become a metaphor for a city for which, after all, “there is only Palermo” “.
The history of football in Palermo, at least at its origins, is a history of integration, of assimilation