Play has never been merely a pastime or a recreational activity. Throughout the centuries covered by the exhibition — from the Risorgimento to contemporary Italy — toys have fulfilled functions that history has often overlooked: they have taught obedience and rebellion, conveyed patriotic values, and offered comfort.

IN GIOCO. Art and Play from the Risorgimento to the Present aims to convey this complexity to the public through an exhibition that brings together historical and rare games, 19th-century dolls, artefacts from criminal anthropology, pop-up books, puppets, photographs and works by contemporary artists.