The Baths of Caracalla Lit Up for One Night American Express celebrates 125 years in Italy with a drone show and the restoration of archaeological finds discovered at the site

On the evening of September 14, American Express Italy celebrated its 125th anniversary in the country at the Baths of Caracalla. For the occasion, an immersive drone performance used light and technology to reinterpret the monumentality of the Roman complex as it might have appeared in the 3rd century AD. At the end of the performance, American Express announced that it will support, through the Art Bonus scheme, the restoration of a selection of artifacts recovered during the most recent excavation campaigns. The objects will be studied and preserved with the aim of putting them on public display in 2027. For Jean Diacono, CEO of American Express Italy, this is a way of leaving a lasting legacy at the site that will endure beyond the anniversary.

The artifacts that will be visible again in 2027

The artifacts date from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD and include coins, engraved gems, bronze fragments, and sculptural elements recovered from spaces once frequented by visitors to the Baths. These objects had never been restored or displayed. They are modest in size compared to the complex as a whole, yet objects of this kind help archaeologists reconstruct daily life at Caracalla. As Daniela Porro, Special Superintendent for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome, explained, coins, gems, and fragments add new details to our understanding of the people who visited the Baths almost two thousand years ago.

After restoration, the artifacts will be presented to the public and may become part of a permanent display within the site. The performance thus offered a one-night glimpse of what the ancient Baths might have looked like; the archaeological work will make visible some of the real objects that once circulated within them. This support continues a series of American Express interventions in Italy's cultural heritage. In 2022 the company contributed to the restoration of the frescoes in Florence Cathedral, while in 2024 it launched a project with the Museo Nazionale Romano to digitize its archives.

From 1901 to the cities of today

American Express's Italian story began in 1901 in Genoa with an import-export office. Naples followed in 1906 and Rome in 1907, then Florence, Venice, Palermo, and Milan. In 1971 the first Italian American Express Card arrived, in 1994 the Membership Rewards programme, and in 2020 Shop Small®, the initiative dedicated to small businesses.

It was within the Shop Small® framework that Itinerari Milanesi: 30 businesses reshaping the city was born — a project created in partnership with the Young Entrepreneurs Group of Confcommercio Milano Lodi Monza Brianza and curated by nss edicola. The guide brings together thirty independent businesses across two routes to be explored on foot or by bicycle. On September 18 and 19, the project will come to nss edicola at Piazza Bruno Buozzi in Milan with two public events. On the evening of the 18th, A fine giornata will feature a party with aperitivo and a DJ set curated by MOGO; the following morning, Al risveglio will bring a breakfast by PAN to the square. Throughout both days, visitors will be able to meet some of the businesses involved and pick up a copy of the guide along with exclusive merchandise.