The best exhibitions in Southern Italy during the winter holidays

During the end-of-year festivities, southern Italy offers a busy cultural schedule. From Naples to Catania, passing through Molise and Basilicata, Domus has selected the exhibitions not to be missed during the Christmas holidays.

A wide array of exhibitions across Southern Italy this year offers many opportunities to enjoy art during the Christmas festivities, encompassing different cities, artistic forms, and generations. During the end-of-year celebrations, it is easier to find time to visit museums, foundations, and art venues, perhaps even giving an exhibition ticket as an original gift to put under the Christmas tree.

Roberto Cuoghi, Pino Pascali Prize 2025 XXVII Edition, exhibition view, Fondazione Pino Pascali, Polignano a Mare, Italie (2025). Photo: Marino Colucci. © Roberto Cuoghi/ADAGP, Paris (2025).

Whether you are away from home and returning to your hometown for the holidays, travelers looking for stops to add to your itinerary to discover Southern Italy, or simply art lovers who want to take a stroll between holiday meals, there are some exhibitions we recommend you don't miss, from Campania to Sicily, passing through Puglia and Molise.

In Naples, for example, two not-to-be-missed events stand out, with Joan Miró at the Basilica della Pietrasanta - Lapis Museum, and Jim Dine at Castel Nuovo, where the American artist's plaster sculptures dialogue with the architecture of the Maschio Angioino, creating a path between history and matter.

Jim Dine. Elysian Fields, Courtesy l’artista e Comune di Napoli

On the Adriatic coast, the calendar of exhibitions to see in southern Italy during the holidays includes Roberto Cuoghi's solo show at the Fondazione Pino Pascali in Polignano a Mare, dedicated to his research on metamorphosis, and the Scollamenti project at MACTE in Termoli, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Termoli Prize by reinterpreting historical and recent works from their archive. 

Art never stops during the Christmas season, which is why Domus has compiled a list of exhibitions not to be missed in southern Italy during the holidays. 

Opening image: Antonio Ligabue, Lotta di galli, s.d. (1958-1959) Olio su tavola di faesite, 57,5×67 cm Collezione privata

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