On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition Caterina Cornaro Experience: una regina da ricordare (Bergamo, 15 October – 30 November 2025), the Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio of Florence, in collaboration with the Donizetti Opera Festival, Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, and the Victor de Sabata and Aldo Ceccato Musical Library, presents a course on the history of costume aimed at scholars, costume designers, art historians, musicologists, and enthusiasts of 19th-century musical theatre.

An engaging journey through the history of theatrical costume, focusing on the stylistic and symbolic evolution between Neoclassicism and scenic Historicism in the first half of the 19th century. The course offers a unique exploration of the iconography and costume choices connected to the figure of Caterina Cornaro, the protagonist of the opera of the same name by Gaetano Donizetti (1844).

Through lectures, analysis of original production sketches, comparisons with iconographic sources, and guided visits to Donizetti-related locations, participants will have the opportunity to explore the historical and theatrical significance of costume design in relation to the European context and the Italian stage.

The course includes study visits to the “Donizetti locations” (Teatro Donizetti, Casa Natale Donizetti, and Teatro Sociale), an in-depth focus on the Donizetti Renaissance, and the opportunity to examine archival documents first-hand.

• Evolution of theatrical costume between Neoclassicism and Historicism
• Costume between historical accuracy and spectacle in grand opéra
• Painters, décorateurs, costume makers: the birth of the theatrical costume designer
• The iconography of Caterina Cornaro between painting and stage representation
• The use of historical and artistic sources in Donizetti’s opera
• Analysis of the sketches from the first Neapolitan production of Gaetano Donizetti’s Caterina Cornaro
• Comparison with Halévy’s La Reine de Chypre and Lachner’s Catharina Cornaro, Königin von Cypern

The fee includes:

• Lessons supported by images and unpublished documentation
• Guided tour of Teatro Donizetti
• Guided tour of Casa Natale Donizetti
• Visit to Teatro Sociale di Bergamo
• Issuance of a certificate of attendance valid for legal purposes

The fee does NOT include:

• Meals, accommodation, and transport
• Anything not specified in the previous section

9:30 | Welcome and registration of participants

10:00–13:00 | Lecturer: Alessio Francesco PALMIERI-MARINONI

• Theatrical costume in Italy during the first half of the 19th century and the European context

• From grand opéra to the search for historical truth

• The meaning of History on stage in the early 19th century

13:00–14:00 | Lunch break (free, at participants’ own expense)

14:00–16:00 | Lecturer: Luca LOGLIO

• The Donizetti Renaissance

• Gavazzeni and Donizetti in the maestro’s personal writings

16:00–16:30 | Break (free, at participants’ own expense)

16:30–17:30 | Lecturer: Alessio Francesco PALMIERI-MARINONI

• The figure of the theatrical costume designer: from painter to décorateur

17:30–18:30 | Lecturer: Clelia EPIS

• Guided visit to Teatro Donizetti

9:30 | Welcome and registration of participants

10:00–13:00 | Lecturer: Alessio Francesco PALMIERI-MARINONI

• The clothing iconography of Caterina Cornaro: art and theatre

• French Historicism in La Reine de Chypre (Halévy, 1841)

• German Historicism in Catharina Cornaro (Lachner, 1841)

13:00–14:00 | Lunch break (free, at participants’ own expense)

14:00–16:00 | Lecturer: Alessio Francesco PALMIERI-MARINONI

• From Briol to Pacini: Caterina Cornaro in Naples (1842–1846)

• Reading and analysis of the costume sketches for Donizetti’s Caterina Cornaro (1844)

16:00–16:30 | Transfer to Città Alta (free, at participants’ own expense)

16:30–17:30 | Lecturer: Clelia EPIS

• Visit to Casa Natale Donizetti

17:30–18:30 | Lecturer: Clelia EPIS

• Visit to Teatro Sociale di Bergamo

ALESSIO FRANCESCO PALMIERI-MARINONI

Costume and Fashion Historian, Theatrical Costume and Performing Arts Specialist. Lecturer at the Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio of Florence, he teaches at the University of Milan and IED Milano. He actively collaborates with the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan. He holds a PhD in History of Theatrical Costume from the University of Sussex. The main focus of his research is the investigation of the relationship between historical authenticity, Historicism, and theatrical costume in musical theatre. He regularly participates in international conferences on the history of costume and theatrical costume, also working as a consultant and research coordinator for costume-related exhibitions and projects involving national and international museums. Member of ICOM International Committee for Museums and Collections of Costume, Fashion and Textiles and ICOMAM International Committee for Museums and Collections of Arms and Military History.

CLELIA EPIS

Art Historian. Since 2011, she has collaborated with the Scientific Department of the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, where she carries out iconographic research and is responsible for the cataloguing, digitisation, and preservation of the iconographic and photographic archives.For the Foundation, she has contributed to the creation of several exhibitions dedicated both to opera and dramatic theatre. Since 2018, she has also collaborated with the Educational Department in the design of educational initiatives.

In the theatrical field, she also collaborates with the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo. Since 2007, she has worked as a Museum Educator at the Accademia Carrara Museum in Bergamo. She teaches Art History at the Andrea Fantoni Art School in Bergamo, including within the post-diploma course for Restoration Technicians and the post-diploma IFTS course for Digital Creators (applied to cultural heritage).

LUCA LOGLIO

Art History and Museology Specialist. He works as a cultural project manager in the cities of Bergamo and Milan. From 2017 to 2023, he was Director of the Fondazione Ravasio and Museo del Burattino; since 2022, he has been Project Manager for the Associazione Museo della Città di Milano; since 2024, he has been Scientific Director of the Victor de Sabata and Aldo Ceccato Musical Library. Since 2025, he has been Project Manager for the Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo – National Historical Archive of Italian Restorers, Scientific Director of the Museo del Burattino and the “Miriam Ravasio” Study Centre for Puppet Theatre, and Project Manager for the Fondazione M° Daniele Maffeis of Milan. Since 2023, he has been a Chamber of Commerce expert in works of art and antiques.

He is the author of books dedicated to the museum presentation of puppet theatre heritage and Bergamo’s puppet and marionette collections. He is curator of exhibitions and museum projects. He specialises in the institutional development of cultural organisations and in the preservation and enhancement of their cultural heritage.