Brescia Marks the Winged Victory With a Victory Day Celebration

Brescia will mark the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Winged Victory with a citywide “Festa della Vittoria” running across Brixia, the Museo di Santa Giulia, the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo and the Cavallerizza – Centro della Fotografia Italiana. The celebrations trace back to 1826, when excavations at the Capitolium uncovered the famous statue, six heads from the imperial period and numerous bronze artifacts. The programme starts with the exhibition “Victoria Mater. L’idolo e l’icona” and continues until events around 20 July 2026.

From 16 to 20 July, venues will host special openings, guided tours, workshops and new exhibitions. On 16 July (10:00–19:00), the Capitolium hypogeum will open to the public and the “Corridoio Unesco” will reopen, with an opening of the Santa Giulia exhibition “La Vittoria di Brescia. 40 fotografi e una eterna bellezza” at 19:00. On 17 July, the Corridoio Unesco and the hypogeum remain open (10:00–19:00), while the MO.CA inaugurates “SHAPING MEMORIES. Arte e Moda Oltre la Vittoria” at 18:00 and the “Notte Bianca della Vittoria Alata” takes place in the Santa Giulia cloister with performances at 19:00 and 20:30, plus free access to Brixia from 19:00 to 24:00. On 18 July, Santa Giulia hosts the presentation of an “Archeo Magazine” special issue, and the Cavallerizza opens two photography exhibitions at 18:00; on 19 July, thematic tours and multilingual visits are scheduled, including English, Russian, Spanish and Romanian. On 20 July, Brixia and Santa Giulia offer free entry (10:00–16:00), with a guided tour of the ongoing Roman Theatre excavations at 15:30 and an institutional event at 19:00.

At the Cavallerizza, the photography exhibition “Vittoria Alata. Viaggio di andata e ritorno” by Renato Corsini continues until 30 August 2026, documenting the statue’s journey to Florence for restoration and its return to the Capitolium. A second exhibition, “In aliam figuram mutare. Interazioni con la Pietà Rondanini di Michelangelo,” focuses on the artist’s research process and its connection to the Rondanini Pietà.
Italian Version