These are innovative routes, the mirror of an era in constant evolution, which knows how to contaminate ancient arts and history with new forms of contemporary expression. Amid historic buildings and futuristic architecture, you can follow the tracks of a modern universe, which looks to the future and amazes with its avant-garde cultural centres, unusual art installations, contemporary art exhibitions, design, and new trends. Here are the stages of an extraordinary journey through contemporary Emilia with Visit Emilia, the territory of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia.ù
Parma between history and innovation
- CSAC Centre for Studies and Archives of Communication located in the beautiful Valserena Abbey, a heritage of millions of items divided into the sections of art, photography, media, fashion, design and entertainment.
- APE Parma Museo, an innovative cultural and museum centre. APE is acrostic for Arts, Performances and Events, the expression of an all-round cultural programme. In addition to important temporary exhibitions, it houses the museum rooms dedicated to Amedeo Bocchi and the Renato Vernizzi museum room.
- Palazzo Tarasconi, a building of great historical value shaped in a contemporary key, hosts exhibitions and events dedicated to the greatest artists of contemporary art.
- Complex of the Pilotta, where the ancient art of the interiors merges with Nannucci's light installation 'Time past, present and future' placed along the sides of the Complex's courtyard. It is a celebration of the regeneration of values through the cultural and creative action of the present.
- Fondazione Magnani Rocca, the Villa of Masterpieces in Mamiamo di Traversetolo, where you can admire works by great artists, but also the temporary exhibition dedicated to Bruno Munari that until 30 June 2024 will reveal the iconic figure of 20th century design and visual communication.
- For lovers of the arts, the Torrechiara Art Trail offers a unique experience among contemporary castles and installations with augmented reality devices offering special guidance.
Ingenious and futuristic Piacenza
- Ricci Oddi Gallery, the venue for the exhibition of the famous, yet mysterious Portrait of a Lady by Gustav Klimt, which disappeared in 1997 and was later found in 2019. The gallery presents a vast collection of works ranging from the 19th to the 20th century, including artists such as Boccioni, Pelizza da Volpedo and Medardo Rosso.
- Spazio XNL Piacenza, is a centre that offers a variety of languages, from exhibitions to performances, screenings and concerts, as well as educational and experiential projects. The 2024 programme includes the exhibition cycle Sul Guardare (On Looking), dedicated to the reinterpretation of Piacenza's artistic heritage between tradition and innovation.
- Volumnia is an innovative artistic and cultural destination located in the Church of Sant'Agostino, restored to reveal its Renaissance beauty. The current exhibition is 'Alfredo Casali. The memory of things'.
- The Museo della Merda di Castelbosco is an ecological centre that transforms cattle dung into sustainable electricity and art forms, the protagonists of exhibitions and installations to be discovered.
- The MIM - Museum in Motion is located in the Castle of San Pietro in Cerro and houses the collection of the Spaggiari family with more than 1,600 works by artists such as Mimmo Rotella, Enrico Baj and Michelangelo Pistoletto and many others.
- The Museo Collezione Mazzolini, in the Monastery of San Colombano in Bobbio, presents works by personalities active between the 1930s and 1960s, such as Lucio Fontana, Giorgio De Chirico and Piero Manzoni, from the personal collection of Domenica Rosa Mazzolini and the Simonetti doctors.
Reggio Emilia an icon of contemporary arts
- Among its symbols are the three bridges designed by Calatrava, whose elegant architecture and large white sails draw attention to the urban centre. The aim was to create a link with the city's monumental structures, such as the Duomo's rose window, thus giving his works a local dimension.
- The Mediopadana high-speed railway station is another example of Calatrava's architectural lines. It incorporates railway tracks and commercial spaces, requiring some 14,000 tonnes of steel for its construction.
- The Collezione Maramotti, one of the most important private collections of contemporary art in Italy, presents more than 200 works that are part of the permanent exhibition, which from the Expressionism and Abstractionism of the 1940s traces paths to Pop Art, Arte Povera, Transavantgarde and the American New Geometry of the 1980s-1990s.
- Architecture and art are perfectly integrated in the work "Whirls and Twirls 1", designed by Sol LeWitt for the vault of the 18th-century reading room of the Panizzi Library.
- The Chiostri di San Pietro, ancient historical rooms transformed into exhibition venues, host cultural events such as Fotografia Europea, an international festival reflecting on the complexities of contemporaneity. The theme of the 2024 edition, open from 26 April to 9 June, is 'nature loves to hide'.
- Palazzo Magnani, a historic 16th century palace, is another landmark for futuristic exhibitions.
