Premio Michetti

One of Italy's oldest art awards

The Premio Michetti is a national contemporary art exhibition held every summer in Francavilla al Mare, a seaside town in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. Established in 1947 to honor the memory of the painter Francesco Paolo Michetti, it is considered the oldest Italian painting prize after the Venice Biennale, a distinction that makes it a landmark event in the national artistic landscape.

The Foundation and the MuMi

The event is promoted and organized by the Fondazione Francesco Paolo Michetti, based at Palazzo San Domenico, the cultural heart of the municipality of Francavilla al Mare. This is home to the MuMi - Museo Michetti, the exhibition's main venue, which over the years has seen some of the most authoritative figures in Italian art criticism serve as curators and presidents. Each edition is entrusted to a curator who provides an original interpretation of the current artistic scene.

A widespread route through the city

In recent editions, the Premio Michetti has expanded beyond the museum walls, transforming into a widespread exhibition that involves various locations in Francavilla al Mare: from the Foundation's spaces to the Covered Market, from the Church of San Bernardino to the Torre Ciarrapico, home to the Naval Museum, and even spaces overlooking the Adriatic seafront. This approach brings contemporary art closer to the urban fabric and its inhabitants, intertwining artistic research with community life.

Awards and recognition

At the heart of the event is the awarding of the Premio Michetti, with works selected and exhibited to the public, and a jury that identifies winners and special mentions. Over the years, the exhibition has given voice to diverse languages, from painting to the most experimental forms of contemporary art, offering Francavilla al Mare a showcase of national and increasingly international scope.

Art and territory in Abruzzo

Beyond the exhibition dimension, the Premio Michetti is also a cultural engine for the Abruzzo region: it involves the public, artists, and local entities in a dialogue that unites memory and contemporaneity. Visiting the exhibition means discovering, alongside the art, a seaside city with a strong cultural identity, linked to the figure of one of the greatest Italian painters of the 19th and 20th centuries.