by InTrieste
More than 74,000 visitors flocked to the Salone degli Incanti between November 15 and May 4 to see the retrospective “Steve McCurry. Sguardi sul mondo,” a major photography exhibition that formed part of the GO! 2025 & Friendscultural program. The exhibition featured 150 photographs by the celebrated American photojournalist, offering an expansive view of his career and signature themes: travel, culture, children, and portraiture.
According to regional officials, the show drew an impressively diverse audience. While the majority of attendees came from Italy—particularly from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and, during the holiday period, from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna—many visitors also arrived from neighboring countries, including a significant number from Slovenia.
“This has been an unprecedented success, especially for a photography exhibition,” said Friuli Venezia Giulia Governor Massimiliano Fedriga and Regional Councillor for Tourism and Productive Activities Sergio Emidio Bini in a joint statement. “It confirms the strong interest from Slovenian visitors in high-quality cultural offerings. In fact, Slovenians accounted for 20 percent of total attendance.”
The exhibition was organized by PromoTurismoFVG and curated by Biba Giacchetti, with artistic direction from Madeinart and Gianni Mercurio. It was among the most comprehensive presentations of McCurry’s work ever shown in Italy, marking the first time more than 100 of his images were exhibited in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The retrospective featured scenes from across the globe—India, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Africa, China, Cambodia, and Japan—highlighting McCurry’s distinctive ability to capture human stories across cultures.
The exhibition’s final day, May 3, also marked its busiest, with a record 1,863 visitors.
The GO! 2025 & Friends initiative is part of a broader regional program supporting GO! 2025, the European Capital of Culture project shared by Nova Gorica and Gorizia. The initiative brings cultural programming to the entire region, aiming to foster cross-border cultural exchange and collaboration.
