Mirabilia Gallery

This gallery, founded in 2016, is nestled between the Circus Maximus, the Palatine Hill, and the Forum—the most majestic ruins of the ancient Rome. Its founder, Giano del Bufalo, a collector and art curator fascinated by the world of oddities, opened the gallery to exhibit part of his personal collection from the Cecchignola Castle.

Mirabilia Gallery pays tribute to the Museum Kircherianum, a 17th-century cabinet of curiosities founded in Rome by the genius Athanasius Kircher. Del Bufalo’s own collection was influenced by his personal encyclopedic interests, his trips to exotic destinations, and the influence of his international circle of colleagues and associates. The collector is particularly intrigued by the stories related to the items, a factor that influences which objects he selects.

Among the most remarkable pieces displayed in the gallery are the skull of a Mosasaurus, taxidermy pieces including an outstanding elephant head, ritual artifacts from Africa and New Guinea, funerary tapestries from Florence, and wax effigies. The gallery welcomes the most contemporary Italian artists, such as the acclaimed photographer Massimo Listri or the provocative painter Saturno Butto. Last but not least, visitors at the gallery are welcome to satisfy their intellect at Giano’s library, which specializes in arts and crafts, natural history, anthropology and occultism.

Since its opening, Mirabilia Gallery has been visited by cinema celebrities and rock stars. The gallery also has an ambitious and strategic program of correspondence and collaborations with influential art dealers and antiquarians.