In Trentino (North Italy) art and nature meet in the Arte Stenico wood. This italian region is not just mountains and nature. It is an area very rich in art and history. A fairytale castle and a land-art path take us on a journey between art and nature in Stenico.
The Castle of Stenico
The Castle of Stenico is an imposing fortress depicted in one of the images of the cycle of the months of the Torre Aquila of the Castello del Buonconsiglio: the one with ladies and knights playing snowballs.
Its existence is documented since 1163. For centuries it was the residence of the official who exercised power over the Giudicarie in the name of the Prince Bishop of Trento. Infact, its position on a rocky spur allowed the control of the communication routes towards the Giudicarie area. A dark legend tells that in one of its towers the prisoners were left to die of hunger. The souls of the prisoners appear when there is a full moon.
Today the castle hosts exhibitions, applied and contemporary art, concerts and other performances. Furthermore, it preserves a precious archaeological section dedicated to local history. Info and timetables and fares at this link.
Art Stenico wood
The Bosco Arte Stenico is a suggestive path in the woods, near the town of Stenico, in Val Giudicarie. The Arte Stenico wood is characterized by the total naturalness of the place and the works inserted in it. Plastic, concrete and steel are banned. Everything is made with natural materials.
In Arte Stenico wood you can admire extraordinary contemporary works created with natural materials. In fact, wood represents a precious gift that the forest gives us to be able to transform it into pieces of art, in total respect for nature. The worn-out works have a charm that goes beyond space-time. Furthermore, inside the forest there is an air of serenity, irony and culture, which are combined in a very pleasant way.
Here the Stenico Castle, the Adamello Brenta Park and Bosco Arte Stenico form a unique itinerary of its kind, where culture, art and nature are intertwined in a landscape of breathtaking beauty.
The works of art of wood, bark, trunks and ropes are not maintained and follow the normal deterioration and return to the earth.
The artistic path was awarded with the PEFC certification for sustainability and with the OPEN brand for accessibility. In fact, the route is accessible to disabled people with wheelchairs even independently.
The artistic editions
The 2019 theme was “Up”, inspired by the traumatic climatic events of 2018 on the Italian Alps.
The title refers to the innate enthusiasm that children have even in the face of difficulties, a virtue that we adults lose over time. A child does not resign himself to anything and this is the right attitude to be reborn and continue living in the woods.
Art and nature meet in the Arte Stenico wood: in the end
The 2020 artistic edition will be skipped. A new event will be waiting for us next year: artists will be invited to express themselves on the theme of “Metamorphosis”.
In Arte Stenico wood the principle is that of sustainability. Using natural products, at a certain point the work naturally degrades into the landscape and becomes part of it. Nature takes back what it has given us; creates works of art every day.
Info: boscoartestenico.eu
Cover image: photo via boscoartestenico.eu
