Troy and Rome. Myths, Legends, and Stories of the Ancient Mediterranean
Italian and English translation of the exhibition catalogue published by De Luca Editori d’Arte.
Rome, Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, 12 June – 18 October 2026
The exhibition brings together over 300 artefacts from leading Italian museums and from Troy itself, many of them shown in Italy for the first time. Thanks to the key role of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, more than 220 works are on loan from 19 Turkish museums, including 50 that have never previously been displayed to the Italian public. The exhibition, introduced by a monumental reconstruction of the Trojan Horse, sets key archaeological evidence for the history and myth of Ilion alongside materials that trace how the story of Aeneas spread and was reworked through to the foundation of Rome. Curated by the Department for the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage, the project also includes research, public engagement and outreach initiatives designed to strengthen scientific cooperation between Italy and Turkey, promote international awareness of both countries’ heritage, and encourage sustainable, high-quality tourism. The exhibition offers the public a coherent, up-to-date account of the histories and cultures of Troy and Rome, interweaving myth, legend and historical fact into a narrative spanning roughly three millennia of Anatolian and Italic civilisation. It unfolds along two parallel strands, literary and archaeological, bringing a critical, comparative approach to the available sources.