Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti

An art historian and archivist, Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti lived and worked between Perugia and Torgiano. In the early 1970s, together with her husband Giorgio Lungarotti, she laid the groundwork for the creation of a museum complex that was unique in terms of its content and curatorial approach; this complex has been further consolidated in recent years with the opening to the public of the Museum of the Olive Tree and Olive Oil (2000) and the establishment, in 1987, of the Lungarotti Foundation, an institution specializing in the promotion and enhancement of Italy’s agricultural heritage in the cultural sphere.
The author of numerous monographs and curator of many national and international conferences and exhibitions, she was a tireless driving force behind cultural life in Umbria and Italy, grounding her work as curator and director of the Torgiano museum complex and the Lungarotti Foundation in rigorous study and research, as well as in her passion for art, archaeology, and beauty.
Among the many honors she has received are the “Meritorious Service to Culture and Art for Activities Promoting the Preservation of Cultural Heritage” (1995); previously named Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2001), in 2011 she was awarded the title of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Inducted into the Golden Register of Citizens of the City of Perugia in 2006, she received the prestigious Marisa Bellisario Award in 2010 for promoting “Made in Italy.”
A member of ICOM (International Council of Museums) since 1974, she served on the founding committee of AIMA (Italian Association of Agricultural Museums) in 1981 and was one of the founding members of Museimpresa in 2001.