Fidel: History of a Leader – The Man Who Challenged the Century

An Event Exhibition in Jesi on Fidel Castro

In 2026, Palazzo Bisaccioni in Jesi, home to the Cassa di Risparmio di Jesi Foundation, will become the stage for one of the most ambitious exhibitions of the Marche cultural season: Fidel: History of a Leader – The Man Who Challenged the Century. The exhibition is born from a dual anniversary, the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth (Birán, 1926) and the tenth anniversary of his death (2016), and guides the visitor through a biographical narrative constructed entirely with original materials.

The initiative brings to Jesi, in the heart of the province of Ancona and the Marche region, a documentary heritage that normally remains in Cuba: all the exhibited works come from the Fidel Castro Ruz Center in Havana. It is a rare opportunity to closely observe photographs, documents, personal objects, and audiovisual testimonies that reconstruct one of the most discussed human and political journeys of the 20th century.

A Chronological Journey in Nine Stages

The exhibition is organized chronologically and divided into thematic sections, following the character's trajectory step by step:

• The early years in Birán, eastern Cuba, and the family of landowners;
• Education, between Santiago, Havana, and the Faculty of Law;
• The assault on Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953;
• The 26th of July Movement and the preparation phase in Mexico;
• The insurrection, with the Granma expedition (December 1956) and the guerrilla warfare in the Sierra Maestra;
• The revolutionary government of 1959, with land reform, the literacy campaign, and health reforms;
• International relations and the 1962 missile crisis;
• The personal dimension, including sports, relationships with intellectuals, and historical figures;
• The final years, up to the rapprochement with the Catholic Church and papal visits.

The Spirit of the Exhibition

The curators — Mauro Tarantino, general secretary of the Foundation, and René González Barrios, director of the Fidel Castro Ruz Center — state that they do not intend to "erect a monument or fuel controversies," but rather to provide the public with the tools to understand the complexity of a historical figure and form their own judgment. This approach makes the exhibition a journey of historical knowledge, as well as a tribute.

Where and When

The exhibition is held at Palazzo Bisaccioni, in Piazza Colocci 4 in Jesi, from June 12 to November 22, 2026, with an inauguration on Friday, June 12, at 6 PM. Admission is free, a significant detail for an exhibition of this scale, making it accessible to families, students, and passersby in the Marche region. The initiative is sponsored by the Embassy of Cuba in Italy and the Marche Region.