ARCA - Polo Espositivo (ex Chiesa di San Marco)

In the middle of Vercelli, a full-sized structure of glass and steel floats inside the nave of a deconsecrated medieval church. This is ARCA, the city's exhibition hall — an architectural "ark" set under the vaults of San Marco, where internationally scaled art shows now play out against frescoes and stone that predate the institution by centuries.

Why it matters

ARCA is the clearest statement of what contemporary Vercelli wants to be: a city that puts old and new in the same room without either apologizing. The Comune di Vercelli describes the venue as an innovative cultural container created inside the ancient church of San Marco, whose modern glass-and-steel installation works as a symbolic ark preserving and highlighting the historic shell around it. The regional tourism portal goes further, calling the site a city symbol of the dialogue between ancient and contemporary: crystal vaults let visitors keep the medieval vaults of San Marco in view while exhibitions unfold beneath them. The programme has matched the ambition, with shows dedicated to Gaudenzio Ferrari, Peggy Guggenheim and Italian Expressionism, collaborations connected with the Guggenheim Foundation, and an announced exhibition devoted to Marc Chagall running from 13 October 2026 to 29 March 2027. For Vercelli, this has established ARCA as a prominent exhibition venue.

What to notice

The building itself is the first exhibit. Stand in the nave and look up: the transparent roof structure frames the medieval vaults, so the old church remains the protagonist even when the walls are hung with contemporary work. Restorers of the Centro Conservazione e Restauro di Venaria Reale have revealed fifteenth-century frescoes in the church, bringing medieval and Renaissance layers into view within the exhibition spaces. Past exhibitions show the venue's range: the Renaissance of Gaudenzio Ferrari rooted in local painting, a show on Magna Carta marking 800 years of the nearby Abbazia di Sant'Andrea, and modern and contemporary cycles. The inner structure separates exhibition spaces from the historic walls, allowing contemporary display within the monumental shell.

Context and history

The church of San Marco is a medieval foundation that ceased to be used for worship — the city records the ex-church as no longer officiable — leaving a monumental shell in the historic centre. Rather than let it decay or museumify it behind glass, Vercelli chose transformation: a contemporary installation inside the nave turned the building into ARCA, a cultural container whose name plays on the ark that shelters what matters. Managed within the city's cultural apparatus, the venue has hosted exhibitions ranging from Gaudenzio Ferrari retrospectives to Peggy Guggenheim and Italian Expressionism, reflecting Vercelli's engagement with both regional heritage and modern art.