Fondazione Lungarotti : MOO

Explore the MUVIT

History of the Museum
Museum itinerary
5 reasons to visit
Photogallery

Explore The MOO

History of the Museum
Museum itinerary
5 reasons to visit
Photogallery
tripadvisor copy

An ancient tree

The botanical characteristics, annual growing cycle, practices for planting, pruning and cultivation of the olive tree…The nature and popularity of an ancient tree whose mythological origins and solemn aspect confer values of sacredness that are recognized all throughout the Mediterranean basin.

The myth of Athena

A unique opportunity to enter into the fascinating myth of Athena: a clever goddess of knowledge, the arts and war, she is depicted with a helmet, accompanied by an owl – an astute, predatory bird - and with the olive tree, that she allegedly gifted to the men who were fighting Poseidon for possession of Attica.

From the olive tree to olive oil

Impressive mills and machines for pressing olives follow the evolution of extraction techniques, the various phases of the pressing process, decanting and conservation. The ongoing research of millers, aimed at obtaining premium oil, has resulted in technical solutions that are ever more specialized and sophisticated.

Production and marketing

The reconstruction of the country villa of Plinio in Tifernum Tiberinum and a model of a Roman transport ship introduce the theme of olive oil production, of the agricultural economy in ancient times and of oil commerce in the Roman period. Country villa’s were farms with a modern organization as well as a place for otium and leisure.

Oil as a source of light

An unusual collection of oil lamps documents the oldest use of oil: it illuminated lamps and lanterns and now inspires the annual temporary exhibits organized by the Lungarotti Foundation that propose the antique and evocative theme of the oil lamp in a modern, sometimes ironic, interpretation.

A landscape of olives

A highly common presence in the Mediterranean landscape, the olive tree is ubiquitous, from watercoloured property maps to stories of travelers on the Grand Tour. Travel accessories, note-books and sketches depict the fascination of the educational tours along the roads of Europe taken by young intellectuals between the 1700’s and 1800’s.

Holy oil

Olive oil has been imbued with symbolic values since antiquity and has lit the flames of votive candles of the great monotheistic religions in the Mediterranean basin: Hebraism, Islamism and Christianity. Together with the tree, depicted as the tree of life, it has become a metaphor of unification and dialogue between religions and cultures.

Oil as nourishment

An indisputable protagonist of the Mediterranean diet, the oil obtained from olive pressing, introduced into cooking in Ancient Greece, wins out over Germanic nutritional models based on animal fats thanks to its high nutritional value, lightness and pleasant flavor.

Oil as medication

Olive oil has been appreciated for millennia thanks to its curative properties and it still used today as a base for pharmaceutical preparations.
As far back as the Arabic knowledge of medicine, which was spread in the Western world thanks to the teachings of the Salerno School of Medicine, the therapeutic virtues of olive oil make it a major ingredient in preparing beneficial potions…

The olive tree in symbolism

Peace, victory, prosperity, power, victory, regeneration… the symbolic meanings of the olive are complex and stratified: it has always been recognized for its emblematic values, probably due to its extraordinary longevity, its imposing, solemn appearance and the changeableness of its silvery foliage…

Olive oil in cosmetics and sports

The doctors of Ancient Greece believed that to keep one’s body healthy it was recommended to wet the interior with wine and anoint the exterior with olive oil…The use of oil-based ointments is an extremely remote tradition to favour athletes in wrestling and other competitions, and to improve aerodynamics in running.

Oil as a source of heat

The modern desire to discover alternative energy sources seems to hark back to rural traditions. In ancient times, olive husks, the final waste product from olive pressing, would be burned in braziers or warmers as heat sources. Traditions that had been forgotten have now been rediscovered…