THE SECRET ARCHIVE
The Secret Archive is a newly uncovered photographic vault, containing millions of original negatives and glass plates that capture the essence of Italy across the 20th century. From forgotten portraits and intimate moments to behind-the-scenes snapshots of cultural icons, this monumental archive reveals a hidden, parallel history of Italian life, most of it untouched for decades, and now shown to the public for the very first time.
Unveil the Italian Novecento
This is not simply an archive. It is a time machine, a visual heritage of the Italian Novecento, where fashion, cinema, politics, everyday life, and the avant-garde intertwine in authentic, often surprising ways. Each image is a window onto a lost world.
A story once silenced, now given voice.
The Secret Archive spans more than a century, from 1900 to 2000. Its content has been catalogued, and a long-term mission is now underway to preserve, restore, and digitize this extraordinary body of work. So far, less than 1% of the archive has been digitized, a mere glimpse into an immense reservoir of untold visual history.
The archive is in continuous evolution and expansion, with exclusive access to private collections and hidden fonds, never before digitized or published. Its materials are curated for public exhibitions, editorial projects, educational programs, and cultural collaborations that aim to reframe how we look at Italy’s past.
Whether in black-and-white or in vibrant Kodachrome, these photographs form a living memory of Italy, unfiltered and raw, beyond cliché.
A treasure trove of visual history, finally revealed.
Rediscovered images. Untold stories. 1900–2000