Not only beach, shopping, restaurants and clubs: Versilia also offers a rich choice of artistic and cultural events. In this article we propose a selection of exhibitions not to be missed in summer 2024.

Photography and Ancient Egypt among the proposals at the Fort

Let us begin with the streets and squares of Forte dei Marmi, which for the entire summer will host the exhibition Risveglio, by Gianfranco Meggiato. The title chosen by the Venetian artist invites the awakening of consciences and reflection, bringing art out of museums, among the people. Meggiato’s large abstract works, made of aluminium and bronze, trace an itinerary between the waterfront and the streets of the centre, in dialogue with urban spaces and the landscape.

At Fortino Leopoldo I, the landmark building of Forte dei Marmi, from 21 June to 14 July, director and photographer Peter Chelsom is the star of the exhibition Dream Role. Giving the exhibition its title is one of its sections, which includes portraits of numerous film stars, from Jerry Lewis to Jennifer Lopez, from Diane Keaton to Charlton Heston and Gary Oldman: Chelsom has invited them to stage, with a great sense of humour, the role of their dreams, and the results are all to be seen.

Chelsom, who has directed, among others, films such as Serendipity and Shall We Dance, shot the thriller Security, starring Marco D’Amore, Maya Sansa, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Ludovica Martino and Silvio Muccino, in Forte in 2021.

Next, from 1 August until February 2025, the Fortino presents an exhibition of a different but no less attractive kind: L’Egitto e i doni del Nilo. The exhibition, suitable for adults and children, tells the story of the great North African civilisation through 24 precious artefacts from the Egyptian Museum in Turin, with in-depth insights into the arts, techniques, professions and materials used.

There is time until 30 June to visit, at Villa Bertelli, the exhibition Da Nomellini a De Chirico. Lights and suggestions from a private collection,dedicated to painting from the Tuscan area in the first half of the 20th century. The exhibition hosts about 40 paintings by artists including, in addition to Giorgio de Chirico and Plinio Nomellini, Renato Natali, Oscar Ghiglia, Mario Puccini and Ardengo Soffici.

Also worth mentioning is the opening of the Museo Quarto Platano: from 28 June, it will be possible to visit, on the second floor of Villa Bertelli, the new permanent section of modern art with works by artists who, in the course of their lives, have known Forte dei Marmi and found inspiration for their artistic production here. The name comes from the café Roma, the ‘Quarto Platano’ in Piazza Garibaldi,

which was a meeting place for artists and intellectuals between the two wars. The new museum will exhibit works by Carrà, De Chirico, Guttuso, Treccani and many other great artists.

Pietrasanta, between endless columns and pampering collectors

Versilia’s most artistic city, Pietrasanta, dedicates the exhibition of the summer to Park Eun Sun, on the occasion of the South Korean artist’s 30th anniversary in Versilia. The exhibition, entitled L’Eredità della Scultura (The Legacy of Sculpture), will feature some monumental works in the splendid Piazza Duomo, such as Colonna Infinita — Accrescimento (Infinite Column — Growth), over 11 metres high. The Church of Sant’Agostino, will host other sculptures, while the Cloister will display some of the artist’s unpublished bronzes and paintings. A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the works of Park Eun Sun’s wife, Lee Kyung Hee.

Also not to be missed is the Collectors’ Night, an evening event dedicated to art and collectors that attracts a festive invasion of visitors every summer. This year the date is 6 July, starting at 7pm, when all the city’s galleries will open their summer exhibition.

The ‘Metacosa’ is discovered in Viareggio

The Galleria Comunale di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (Municipal Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art) in Viareggio has a permanent collection of 3,000 works by some 750 artists who were protagonists of 20th-century art, and possesses the most important public collection of works by Lorenzo Viani, who was born in Viareggio and was an exponent of European Expressionism.

Until 13 October, the Gallery presents the contemporary art exhibition I Pittori della Metacosa, with works by seven artists: Giuseppe Bartolini, Giuseppe Biagi, Gianfranco Ferroni, Bernardino Luino, Sandro Luporini, Lino Mannocci, and Giorgio Tonelli.

The Metacosa artists animated the Milanese cultural milieu in the 1980s. In 2004, the exhibition Fenomenologia della Metacosa at the Spazio Oberdan in Milan marked Philippe Daverio’s debut as curator. The exhibition in Viareggio is inspired by Daverio’s project, representing the path of the artistic association from 1979 to the present day.

Seravezza: the history of the Bussola and contemporary sculpture

History of Italian music and pop culture for the exhibition Divismo, spettacolo, cultura (1950-1980). La Bussola di Bernardini,until 29 September at the Palazzo Mediceo in Seravezza. Through documents, images, videos, stage costumes, playbills and vinyl records, the exhibition recounts the golden age of Versilia through a character-symbol, Sergio Bernardini, patron of the Bussola, which for decades was one of the most famous clubs in Italy, capable of attracting the biggest international stars.

Among the documents on display for the first time is Bernardini’s archive, which also includes

the letter in which Mina announced that it was at the Bussola that she would hold her last concert on 23 August 1978.

At Fondazione Arkad, a few steps from the Mediceo, from 12 July and throughout the summer, the sculptures created in the Foundation’s workshop during the Fusion 3 symposium will be on display. Participating in the symposium are five artists from Hong Kong and five artists of various nationalities, active in the Versilia area, who are engaged in realising, working with four hands and using marble and wood together, very special works of contemporary art.

Two villas for art lovers

Among the proposals of The Dream Real Estate, there is no shortage of villas that can offer something extra to art enthusiasts.

For those looking for a rental solution, for instance, Villa Amanda offers an area of more than 500 square metres, ample outdoor spaces and a vast garden dotted with sculptural works of contemporary art, as well as furnishings and accessories selected with taste and attention to detail.

On the other hand, Villa Tadao is for sale, a precious example of contemporary architecture, with the contrast between wood and exposed concrete drawing essential lines of refined elegance. The large swimming pool and solarium area are an integral part of the design of the villa, which is surrounded by a 1,340 square metre garden.