Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades Reopens After Fires

Los Angeles comes back to life after the devastating fires of January. After having escaped to the fire that hit the hills overlooking the ocean between Pacific Palisades and Malibu, an important area reopens to the public cultural hub of the Californian city, loved for its airy garden and open-air theater performances: the Getty Villa. The museum, built like a Roman villa and home to over 44,000 ancient works of art, had closed on January 7th. That night, flames and burning embers pushed by violent gusts of wind had grazed the complex, without however damaging it. A Getty rescue team remained inside the museum for hours, putting out the fires and sealing the tunnels. news programs followed the unstoppable spread of the flames, showing how they miraculously avoided the museum, making it a example of good maintenance and fire prevention. The area around it is still black with soot, a few skeletons remain villas and many construction sites. The Palisades fire burned more of 95 square kilometers, destroyed over 6,800 buildings and caused the death of 12 people. The inhabitants of the area are not still back home. "It's hard to believe that only five months have passed. For those who lost their home, their business or their daily routine, it seemed an eternity," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, at the reopening ceremony. "Today we are here not only to reopen a museum, but to recognize the collective effort that has allowed us to get this far." Katherine Fleming, president and CEO of the Getty (who also has a ultra-modern museum in the Santa Monica hills), has underlined the commitment of the past months: "We are aware that many of our neighbors have not yet returned home, the Our doors are open especially for you, for this community put to the test. In these months, we have removed 1,300 trees damaged, fountains covered in ash cleaned, replaced the air and water filters, and cleaned the areas internal and external. We didn't just repair. We worked to build a more resilient future. Why are we sure, it will happen again. And we have to be ready." The reopening coincides with the inauguration of the exhibition The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece. Before major exhibition organized in North America on the Mycenaeans, It collects over 230 finds from Messenia, including Linear B tablets and the Pylos Combat Agate. The season open-air theatre will return in the fall with Oedipus the King, Mama!, in collaboration with the Troubadour Theater Company.