PRESS RELEASE
The Rotary Club Rome Campidoglio celebrates its twentieth anniversary with the restoration of five mirrors that showcase the strength and prestige of women in Etruscan civilization.
Rome, May 29, 2025
Rotary Club Rome Campidoglio turns twenty. Twenty years of service, culture, and community engagement. To celebrate this milestone, the Club has chosen to return to the city a piece of its most ancient and fascinating history: five mirrors from the Etruscan era. The project was made possible by the collaboration of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, custodian of the most fascinating of Etruscan treasures, and LoveItaly, a non-profit organization committed to protecting Italy’s cultural heritage.
The choice was not accidental. Mirrors, seemingly simply decorative objects, were instruments of identity and symbols of social prestige with profound symbolic meaning for Etruscan women. In Etruscan civilization, women occupied a central role in society, participating in public life, and enjoying a surprising degree of autonomy for the time. This was a social reality very different to that of Greek and Roman civilizations which often marginalized the female figure.
The Rotary Club Rome Campidoglio chose to restore five finely engraved bronze mirrors, dating between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, from various places in southern Etruria. The mirror-backs feature decorative motifs of extraordinary finesse: mythological scenes, divine figures, and details that narrate the intertwining of beauty and power, femininity and sacredness.
These splendid objects were previously conserved in the storerooms of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, out of public view. Thanks to this intervention, they have been brought to light again, restored, and accompanied by a new narrative that enhances their cultural and symbolic significance.
The restoration initiative is part of Rotary’s vision as an active force in promoting culture and beauty. “Our first twenty years have been important, but we want to look to the years to come, starting from our roots, which must be protected and magnified,” said Tiziana Galloni, President of the Rotary Club Roma Campidoglio.
“The restoration of the mirrors was a significant challenge for us, not only because of their delicate state of conservation, but also because of the complexity of their interpretation and the interpretation of the scenes depicted,” said Miriam Lamonaca, Head of Conservation at the Villa Giulia Museum. “Each individual intervention was tailored to the varying levels of deterioration, with the aim of ensuring the long-term conservation of the mirrors and improving interpretation, while respecting their historical and cultural integrity.”
“The restoration of the Etruscan mirrors, led by Tiziana Galloni and the Rotary Club Roma Campidoglio, is a virtuous example of a public-private partnership that returns precious treasures to the community,” said Stefano Pighini, Vice President of LoveItaly. “We are always delighted every time a new chapter is added to our mission of protecting Italy’s cultural heritage. Over ten years, LoveItaly has built a small but widespread network of partners—ministries, superintendencies, museums, fine arts institutes, and civic organizations—with whom we are privileged to collaborate. Bringing together patrons and artifacts in need of care is a profound satisfaction for us.”
The project was made possible thanks to a network of high-profile collaborations.
In addition to the Rotary Club of Rome Campidoglio, the following contributed enthusiastically and generously:
- Rotary Club of Bolsena and Ducato di Castro
- Rotary Club of Rome North West
- Rotary Club of Rome Quirinale
- BCC ROMA – Agenzia 15
- PWA Rome (Professional Women’s Association)
- Professor Michele Tantardini (RC Philadelphia)
- Dr. Chiara Berettoni
