Cinematographer Storaro Designs Lighting to Illuminate Rome Monuments at Night
In honor of the Rome’s 2,768th birthday in 2015, Oscar winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and his daughter Francesca are designing spotlights for a stunning nighttime illumination of Rome’s top cultural landmarks, including: the Temple of Minerva, the Forum of Augustus, the Temple of Mars Ultore and the column of Trajan’s Forum– a monument that will be the focal point of the entire area.
“The new lights on the Forum have been designed to tell, through the illumination itself, the concepts related to the life and deeds of various emperors. For Augustus, I thought about lighting that comes from below, like a sun rising over the then known world thanks to the knowledge and civilization of Rome. For Nerva, I wanted to emphasize the transience of the period with a series of lights that highlight the stasis of this portion of the forum,” said Storaro.
Beginning on April 21, 2015, the new system features a beam of light that shines from the ground of the Temple of Mars Ultor and to the top of the Forum of Augustus. The spotlight in the Forum of Nerva enhances the spectacular marble of the Temple of Minerva’s stunning columns, and a powerful display in Trajan’s Forum will make it look as though the famous column itself is emitting light.
Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino said, “We have been working on this project for almost a year. It is incredible that this great heritage is not yet illuminated at night, thus making it usable. Now this new lighting will begin, very elegant from the scientific point of view. We were really lucky to have been able to rely on Francesca and Vittorio Storaro on the project. We believe very much in the cultural investment in our city, and we are looking for patrons. The design was funded by Unilever, but another patron will donate the entire cost of construction of the new lighting system.”
-Molly Rossi
