January 19-20, 2026
Giovanni da Nola, Annunciation.
A Rediscovered Masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance
Opening event with Elizabeth Defeis, Antonio Amendola, Ivan Giovanni Allevi and Jane Williams
January 19, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Italian Cultural Institute @INNOVIT
710 Sansome St, San Francisco
From January 19 to January 31, the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco will host the exhibition Giovanni da Nola, Annunciation. A Rediscovered Masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, an international cultural project dedicated to the restoration and valorization of two extraordinary sixteenth-century polychrome wooden statues depicting the Annunciation, created by the renowned Neapolitan Renaissance sculptor Giovanni da Nola.
The exhibition integrates historical content, physical displays, artistic installations, original restoration tools, and advanced digital experiences, offering visitors an immersive journey that connects Renaissance art with contemporary technologies.
The exhibition tells the story of the recovery of a significant yet long-overlooked artwork, originally housed in the abandoned Church of the Santissima Annunziata in Buccino (Salerno, Italy) and now preserved at the National Archaeological Museum “Marcello Gigante” in Buccino, where it is accessible to the public in a fully controlled museum environment.
The exhibition will open on January 19th with an inaugural panel discussion, bringing together experts in art history, conservation, and technological innovation applied to cultural heritage.
Among the panelists, Professor Elizabeth Defeis, founder of the U.S.-based nonprofit association Friends for Preservation of Cultural and Artistic Heritage of Italy and principal supporter of the restoration project, will present the conservation initiative and outline the association’s mission and future objectives in supporting Italian cultural heritage through international public–private cooperation.
Antonio Amendola, Project Manager of the project, will describe the restoration process, highlighting the methodological approach adopted and the technical and organizational challenges addressed in close collaboration with restoration specialists and Italian cultural authorities.
The panel will also feature Ivan Allevi, CEO of Allix Srl and CTO of the startup Travel Verse, who led the digital reconstruction of the artworks. His contribution will focus on how Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence are transforming the preservation, interpretation, and global dissemination of cultural heritage, opening new perspectives for the protection and appreciation of Italy’s artistic legacy.
ABOUT
Elizabeth F. Defeis
Professor of law and distinguished legal scholar, Elizabeth F. Defeis has had a long international career in human rights, rule of law, and constitutional development. She served as Dean of Seton Hall Law School and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. She is also Advisor to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. In addition to her academic and legal work, she is founder of Friends for Preservation of Cultural and Artistic Heritage of Italy, the nonprofit that funded the Annunciazione restoration project.
Antonio Amendola
Antonio Amendola is Project Manager of the Giovanni da Nola restoration initiative and Product Manager at Senior Srl, an Italian technology company working in IoT, VR, and AI. With a background in aerospace/aeronautical engineering and over 20 years of experience, he has served as a speaker and consultant on innovation and tourism projects internationally. He has co-founded and led several startups and served as advisor on business models, project management, and technology strategy.
Ivan Giovanni Allevi
Ivan Giovanni Allevi brings more than 25 years of experience in IT and digital innovation. He is CEO of Allix Srl and co-founder/CTO of Travel Verse Srl, where he leads development of VR and AI applications for cultural and tourism sectors. His work spans platforms in sensor systems, IoT, and immersive technologies. Under his guidance, the Annunciazione exhibition’s digital reconstruction and interactive experiences were developed, showcasing how advanced technologies can enhance cultural heritage engagement.
Jane Williams
Jane Williams has been Director of Conservation and Head of Objects Conservation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) since 2019. Previously she was a conservator, and then Head of Collections and Conservation, at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley. She has held positions and advanced fellowships in objects conservation at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Brooklyn Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Walters Art Museum, and worked as an archaeological conservator at sites in Italy and Turkey. She received an MA in Art History and Diploma in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University.