DISCOVERING THE 20TH CENTURY MASTERS IN THE PROVINCE OF ALESSANDRIA

Day 1

Arrive to Casale Monferrato late morning and spend the day visiting the city starting from Piazza Castello and the imposing Paleologi Castle, home to the Gonzaga until the second half of the 16th century, which later became a fortress. Casale is one of the gateways to Monferrato, between the Po valley and the local hills which is now UNESCO heritage site. The Gonzaga made it one of the most prestigious centres of Europe and this becomes clear during the visit to the centre, rich in architectural treasures, civil and religious buildings. Left Piazza Castello, continue along Via Saffi, rich in small ‘botteghe’, shops and dominated by the civic tower of the 11th century, one of the symbols of the city. Stop off at a well-known historic pastry shop to enjoy the famous Krumiri biscuits. The visit continues with the Church of San Domenico, the Cathedral of Sant'Evasio and the must-see Synagogue. It was built in 1595 and is an extraordinary example of late baroque architecture, with stuccoes, gold and precious wooden furnishings. The visit continues with the Museum of Lights which is home to a Chanukkiot collection of contemporary art, produced by Jewish and non-Jewish artists, including Elio Carni and Emanuele Luzzati. The collection is a unique opportunity to see the different ways in which many artists have tackled the problems connected with the formal project of a ritual object. The Museum of Lights is now hosted in the basement of the community which was once home to the oven which baked the unleavened bread eaten by the Jews during the Jewish Easter.

The itinerary continues with another important stop-off to discover the 20th century with the Bistolfi Plaster Cast Gallery at the Civic Museum.
The Gallery is home to more than one hundred and seventy works among clay, drawings, plasticine, drafts and plaster models. These materials allow to understand the different phases of the artistic process of Bistolfi, one of the greatest international interpreters of Symbolism: from the draft in clay in which the sculptor set his initial idea, to the subsequent draft in plaster, to the definitive model which made the final idea tangible and became the actual realisation of the work, before it was transposed into marble and bronze. Before leaving the city, visit and tasting in the historic Magnoberta
1918 distillery.
Transfer to Alessandria, dinner with traditional menu and overnight accommodation in centrally-located hotel.

Day 2

After breakfast, transfer by own means to Acqui Terme. First part of the morning is dedicated to the visit to Villa Ottolenghi. This historic residence was built in the first half of the 20th century on the hills of Acqui Terme (AL) by Count Arturo Ottolenghi and his wife Herta von Wedekind zu Horst, a painter and sculptor recognised as one of the vanguards of the early 20th century.

Villa Ottolenghi is an exceptional example of synoptic art of the 1920s, with the input of celebrated architects such as Marcello Piacentini and artists such as Arturo Martini, Fortunato Depero, Venanzo Crocetti, who worked on the Villa thanks to the patronage of Counts Ottolenghi. The halls of the Residence provide guests with the ideal location for private receptions and gala dinners, weddings and similar events. Guests can immerse themselves in the magical setting of the park which is the work of the famous landscape architect Pietro Porcinai, awarded with the prestigious European Garden Award in 2011.

Return to the centre for a stroll in the historic area of the spa city and break for lunch with tasting of local products and DOCG wines.

In the afternoon, return to Alessandria and visit Palatius Vetus to see the permanent exhibition of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria with the works of artists born in Alessandria and province who gave prestige to the history of Italian art in the 20th century. These include Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Angelo Morbelli and Carlo Carrà. Dinner and overnight accommodation in hotel.

Day 3

After breakfast, transfer by own means to Tortona. The itinerary to discover the 20th century continues with the visit to Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio of Tortona and its extraordinary collection.

The latter constitutes the only museum project dedicated entirely to Divisionism, investigated through the works selected from those which have contributed to the artistic events of the period, in relation to the multiplicity of its components, starting from the recognisable preconditions in the most advanced trends of the second half of the 19th century, to follow its developments through the themes and protagonists, and consider its continuity in the early decades of the 20th century. Some works of the Collection are currently on show in an exhibition at the GAM of Milan. Stop off at the Pasticceria Vercesi founded in 1898, in the trendy Via Emilia to purchase the famous 'baci dorati'

Lunch at leisure in the centre.

In the afternoon, private transfer to Volpedo to visit the places of Pellizza, the Museum and the painter's studio.

Along Via Rosano in Volpedo the rear of Pellizza’s house looks onto a canal, and the articulated block of the construction terminates with a large parallelepiped area which is home to Giuseppe Pellizza’s studio, where he painted, exercised and studied, looking onto the fields and countryside. The painter had it built in 1888 and it was expanded in 1896 to become what it is today with the large zenith skylight; it was donated by his two daughters to the municipality of Volpedo in 1966 and its current look is due to restoration work between 1986 and 1994, which returned it to its original conditions. It also opened to the public in 1994. Pellizza had no access to his Studio from Via Rosano, but he accessed it directly from his house; the current entrance astride the canal was made necessary following the donation of the studio to separate it from the home, which continued to belong to the family. Once inside, the visitor will be struck by the size of the studio, which has a perimeter of 6.50 m x 8.25 m x 5.5 h. The restoration work brought the colours of the walls back to those given by Pellizza to his studio, removing the superimposed layers of colours and finding the dark but warm shades of the soil of Siena verging on brown, an intense shade, as was customary for most of the 19th century studios. At the end of the walls, Pellizza often painted an architectural band with embossed mouldings, skilfully playing on the monochrome. The educational museum in piazza Quarto Stato offers the visitor a multimedia installation which introduces to the artist's world and his main works. Along the streets of the ancient village of Volpedo, the places of Pellizza are indicated by specific signage