IT
On 19 February 2026 at 6:00 PM, the Sala Rebecchini at Palazzo Sciarra Colonna hosts VELENO! (POISON!), a one-act play written and directed by Idalberto Fei, dedicated to the figure of Carlo Maratti, the most celebrated painter of the 17th century.
On stage, a striking and intense monologue blends drama, irony, and live music. Maratti speaks in the first person, retracing his life: from a provincial boy obsessed with drawing, to an ambitious young artist in Baroque Rome, and eventually to the heir of Raphael and a true European star.
Alongside his success, passions, shadows, and intrigues emerge: a first wife linked to a suspected poisoning, Francesca—an irresistible, much younger model—and his daughter Faustina, an Arcadian poet involved in dramatic events. In the background unfolds a ruthless and violent 17th century, marked by artistic ambition and family memories shaped by the Turkish invasions of Dalmatia.
Cast: Pino Censi (Maratti), Cristina Del Sordo (the assistant), Leonardo Fauci (violin). Lighting by Alessandro Morelli for Blue Mirror. Text and direction by Idalberto Fei. Duration: approx. 75 minutes.
Produced by Simularte, the performance is promoted by the National Committee for the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Carlo Maratti’s birth, with the support of the Directorate-General for Libraries and Cultural Institutes and under the patronage of Nuova Consonanza.
