INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
A culture of prevention for cultural heritage: from planning to emergency management, Udine, 16 – 17 October 2026

16.-17. October 2026 - Udine

How do prevention and emergency management translate into the everyday practices of a museum?
Protecting cultural heritage also depends on the choices, tools and procedures that shape the day-to-day work of museums.
How can vulnerabilities be identified?
How can institutions prepare for an emergency?
Which practices prove effective, and what challenges arise when putting them into practice?

Discussing these issues means starting from the hands-on experience of institutions and professionals, sharing challenges, solutions and expertise.

The recent floods that have affected central Italy, the earthquakes that have further exposed the fragility of many inland areas, major thefts, and the heatwaves recorded across Europe all highlight the complexity of the risk scenarios cultural institutions are increasingly required to address.

Natural hazards, the effects of climate change and human-induced threats call for prevention strategies tailored to the specific characteristics and vulnerabilities of each cultural institution. Two days of activities featuring keynote speakers, an international
roundtable, participatory sessions, and guided visits across the local area. A conference to compare tools and practices, bringing together approaches and solutions developed in different contexts.

Simultaneous translation will be provided for the plenary session via Zoom platform. Participants are kindly requested to download the app on their mobile device/s and to bring their own headphones.

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION >>

The Illustrious Guest
Giambattista Tiepolo's ‘Last Judgment’
Udine Castle, Aldo Rizzi Room, Gallery of Ancient Art (Galleria d’Arte Antica)

October 10, 2026 – January 17, 2027
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
(last entry at 5:30 PM)

Inauguration on the 9th of October, 2026, at 17:00 at the Lapidario of Udine Castle

Thanks to an art exchange between the Municipality of Udine and Intesa San Paolo Group, Giambattista Tiepolo's The Last Judgment temporarily joins the civic collections. The arrival of the masterpiece gives rise to the micro-exhibition “The Illustrious Guest: Giambattista Tiepolo's Last Judgment”, curated by Fabio Franz, curator of the Gallery of Ancient Art.
Tiepolo's monumental canvas, datable between 1730 and 1747, will be exhibited in the "Aldo Rizzi" Room of the Gallery of Ancient Art alongside several famous works that the Venetian master created for Udine: Virtue and Nobility Triumphing over Ignorance, Saint Francis de Sales, and The Guardian Angel.
Exhibiting Tiepolo's Last Judgment, alongside these masterpieces preserved at the Civic Museums of Udine, offers an important opportunity to explore the technical, stylistic, and compositional evolution of the Venetian master, particularly during the 1730s and 1740s.
The exhibition is organized by the Civic Museums of Udine under the patronage of the “I Luoghi dei Tiepolo” network, the University of Studies of Udine, and the Fondazione Friuli.

For Info
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Tel: +39 0432 1272591

Cover photo: The Last Judgment, Giambattista Tiepolo © Patrimonio Artistico Intesa Sanpaolo, foto Valter Maino, Vicenza

On the Threshold.
Symbols and Rituals of Death in Friuli through the Photographs of Carlo Innocenti
Palazzo Giacomelli, Via Grazzano 1, Udine

25th September - 29th September 2026
Thursday | 10.00-14.00 (last entry 13.30)
Friday-Sunday | 10.00-18.00 (last entry 17.30)
Palazzo Giacomelli headquarter of MEF, Via Grazzano,1 - Udine

Inauguration on the 25th of September, 2026, at 17.00

On 25 September 2026, the exhibition "On the Threshold. Symbols and Rituals of Death in Friuli through the Photographs of Carlo Innocenti" opens to the public at Palazzo Giacomelli, home to the Museo Etnografico del Friuli.Curated by Pamela Pielich and Caterina Vidon, the exhibition offers an anthropological and visual reflection on the transformations that rituals surrounding death in Friuli have undergone over time. It uses these rituals as a privileged vantage point from which to observe broader cultural change.The exhibition explores the shift from communal and domestic approaches to death to increasingly individualised and medicalised practices. These practices have also become progressively stripped of shared rituals. Until the second half of the twentieth century, mourning was a time of strong collective participation, with wakes held at home. Ritual practices, codes of oral tradition and relationships with neighbours helped communities process loss collectively. Today, the gradual disappearance of places traditionally associated with farewell rituals and the spread of cremation have profoundly changed these practices. As a result, individuals are increasingly left to shoulder the grieving process alone.
The exhibition brings different forms of expression and documentary sources into dialogue. Carlo Innocenti’s photographs offer a visual interpretation of the symbols, objects and places associated with death. They highlight both their enduring presence and their transformations within the Friulian landscape. The photographs are accompanied by anonymous testimonies collected through philosophical workshops curated by REU – Ritorno all’Essere Umani, together with a sound installation created by Roberto Frisano and Valter Colle. Through ritual songs, prayers and oral memories relating to death, the installation highlights the intangible cultural heritage of a region historically characterised by multilingualism.The exhibition also features a selection of items from Udine’s Civic Collections, including historic uniforms worn by funeral service staff. Also on display is the Ciccinelli photographic album, signed by Brisighelli, which provides a valuable record of the iconography of mourning in the region. A further section is devoted to the hearse in the Civic Collections, known to have transported the body of Franz Ferdinand. Its physical presence is evoked and explored through a scientific and documentary study curated by art historian and conservator Fabio Franz.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme of related activities, talks, in-depth discussions and guided tours for the public. These will provide further opportunities to explore the anthropological and social dimensions of the themes addressed in the exhibition. An invitation to reflect on the meaning of farewell rituals and the ways in which contemporary society confronts loss, through a perspective that brings memory, culture and transformation into dialogue.

Informations:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +39 0432 1272920