Fabrizio Masucci, Director of the Sansevero Chapel Museum, Napoli, Italy. Photography © Daniele Mari
1.What is your museum about and what is your work there?
The Sansevero Chapel Museum is a treasure of Baroque art in the ancient center of Napoli which, among its masterpieces, the work of the Veiled Christ (1753) by Giuseppe Sanmartino, a sculpture famous all over the world.
The Sansevero Chapel is the result of the wonderful project of the seventh prince of Sansevero, Raimondo di Sangro, a brilliant and eclectic 18th century Neapolitan personality.
The number of visitors reached (over 750,000 admissions in 2019) in a small-sized site confronts us with the challenge of maintaining the quality of the visit experience high and making all the charm of the place appreciated in the best conditions.
2.How is your museum dealing with the coronavirus crisis?
Our priority has been the handling of the thousands of refund requests, sent by those who had already purchased tickets online for the forced closing period. At the same time, like many other museums, we have planned a new schedule for our social channels.
3.What is the impact on your digital activity? Do you have tips to share with your colleagues?
The activity on the museum’s social profiles has been enriched by in-depth video sections and other new content, and we are experiencing a very positive response from users.
Among other initiatives, we have developed a PWA (Progressive Web App) in collaboration with Antenna International, which allows people to listen to the contents of our audio guide for free on all devices without having to download them.
Tips? I don’t feel like giving it, because I believe that each cultural site has its own peculiarities.
4.Are you already preparing yourself for the reopening? Tell us in what way.
We opened last Friday 12 June with essential sanitary devices (masks, disinfectant gel dispenser, etc.) and all the measures that can guarantee maximum safety for employees and visitors, inside the museum and in the adjacent outdoor area. All this to see the wonder in the eyes of our visitors, enchanted by the beauty of the works that we are lucky enough to cherish.
Interview by Fabio Pariante, journalist
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The Sansevero Chapel Museum on social networks: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube
Fabrizio Masucci (Napoli, 1977) is President of the Sansevero Chapel Museum Srl, a service company that has been managing the Sansevero Chapel Museum since 1996, which is part of the current principles of Sansevero. By managing the administrative, operational, curatorial and scientific discussions of the museum, Masucci fully covers the role of Director.
The Neapolitan sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino created the Veiled Christ (1753) by working on a single block of marble (180x80x50 cm) which represents the lifeless body of Jesus Christ, covered with an extraordinary transparent veil made of marble that reveals the face, the veins and the signs of torture.
Prince Raimondo di Sangro was also an alchemist and scientist, about the veil, the legend is told that he had taught the sculptor Sanmartino a special technique for “marbling” the veil.
For the extraordinary results achieved as an enterprise in the cultural sector and for the constant commitment to the recovery and enhancement of the ancient center of Napoli, the Sansevero Chapel Museum Srl has received important national and international awards and recognitions.
