From Etruscan workshops to contemporary fashion designers
The Orodautore Museum trail unfolds through different rooms, each dedicated to a chapter in the history of gold in Arezzo and of the Orodautore collection. Let’s take a few steps together through the rooms, discovering the Arezzo goldsmith tradition.
Multimedia Room
The origins of gold in Arezzo
The visit begins in an immersive room that introduces – through texts, images and video content – the evolution of Arezzo’s goldsmithing: from Etruscan workshops to the contemporary district.
An engaging story that prepares the eye for art jewellery, connecting history, territory and the birth of the Orodautore project.
First Editions Room
The first art jewels
Here you find the jewels from the first editions of the Orodautore exhibition, between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
From the encounter between Italian and international artists and the Arezzo goldsmith companies, drawings, prototypes and finished pieces came to life: the technical skills of the district gave form to experimental ideas, opening the way to a new conception of contemporary jewellery.
Las Vegas and Buenos Aires Room
Art gold in the world
This room explores the international stages of Orodautore, with jewels created by artists such as Gio’ Pomodoro, Ugo La Pietra and Bruno Munari.
The collections dedicated to Las Vegas, Buenos Aires and other capitals show how the gold of Arezzo has entered into dialogue with distant imaginaries, becoming a global sign without losing its connection to its roots.
Piero della Francesca Gallery
The homage to Piero
In the long central corridor, a selection of jewels pays homage to Piero della Francesca, echoing his geometries, colours and compositions. The tribute is rendered by leading Italian and international artists such as Venturino Venturi, Cordelia von den Steinen, Gae Aulenti, Ettore Sottsass Jr., Dario Fo and Setsu Ito.
Projections and images of his works accompany visitors, inviting them to see how the volumes, proportions and light of the Renaissance can be reborn in a contemporary jewel.
Third Millennium Room
A jewel for the future
This room hosts the creations born for the three “Un gioiello per il terzo millennio” exhibitions, signed by international artists, architects and designers at the end of the 1990s.
The works experiment with new materials, forms and constructions, imagining the jewel as a sign of our time: symbolic object, micro-sculpture, element of personal identity.
Fashion Designers Room
Where fashion and jewellery meet
Here jewellery enters into direct dialogue with the world of fashion: creations designed by fashion designers and international maisons show how gold can accompany garments, accessories and collections, becoming either a scenographic detail or a minimal sign.
Thanks to the collaboration with Vogue Gioiello and the patronage of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the collection has been enriched by the bold research of some of the most important fashion designers worldwide, such as Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce&Gabbana, Etro, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Missoni, Moschino, Versace and Vivienne Westwood.
Educational Room
Inside the goldsmith’s craft
Tools, workbenches and didactic materials allow visitors to get closer to the “behind the scenes” of the goldsmith’s craft and to discover how it has evolved over time.
Models, samples and explanatory supports illustrate the main stages of the production process: from design to casting, from chain-making to the finishing touches that make each jewel unique.
Borsalino Room
Iconic hats and auteur gold
A selection of historic Borsalino hats is placed in dialogue with jewels designed specifically for these forms, in a play of references between fashion, elegance and ornament. This is the heart of the 2011 Orodautore collection, created in collaboration with Vogue Gioiello and the historic Borsalino brand.
The room shows how gold can accompany and enhance an icon of Italian style, turning the hat into a true field of creative experimentation.
Temporary exhibition
The homage to Vasari
On the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the death of Giorgio Vasari, in 2024 Arezzo celebrated the great artist with numerous events, including an extraordinary edition of Orodautore. The temporary exhibition currently hosted at the end of the visit route is the result of that project.
The focus dedicated to Giorgio Vasari brings together jewels and ornaments designed in response to his figure as artist, architect and theorist of art.