‘Pinocchio al Pinocchio', collective exhibition in San Miniato

36 Tuscan painters interpret the episodes of ‘The adventures of Pinocchio’.

From 06 January 2018 to 23 January 2019

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From January 6th 2018 to January 23rd 2019 San Miniato Basso (Pisa) hosts the exhibition 'Pinocchio al Pinocchio', a collective exhibition that groups the works of 36 Tuscan exponents of 20th century painting. Are you wondering why the exhibition on Pinocchio was organized in San Miniato and not in Collodi? Let us explain: it seems that the father of Carlo Lorenzini, the author of 'The Adventures of Pinocchio', worked in San Miniato for a while. So the inventor of the adventures of the most famous puppet in the world spent his childhood days in this area. Do you know what one of the hamlets under San Miniato Basso (PI) was called? Pinocchio! This surely is no coincidence. So, Carlo Lorenzini could have drawn inspiration from this village when he decided to give the name Pinocchio to his creature. We’re speaking of a hypothesis here, since it has never been confirmed whether it is true or not. But if you ask somebody from San Miniatese, you will see that they have no doubts: the origin of the name Pinocchio can be explained in the light of the bizarre name of the neighbouring village to the place where Lorenzini spent his childhood!

Few people know this story: after all, in 1924 the place name Pinocchio was replaced by San Miniato Basso and the link with the puppet of growing notoriety was gradually forgotten. In recent years, however, some organizations, such as the one that bears the same name as the exhibition ('Pinocchio al Pinocchio'), have been working hard to bring the most famous puppet of all back at the center of the cultural life of the Pisan town. As proof of this pride, San Miniato is trying to increasingly strengthen its bond with Carlo Lorenzini's puppet. There are lots of events in San Miniato in his honor: 'Pinocchio Ciok', the festival of chocolate and local products that takes place in May, 'Pinocchio in strada’, brightening up evenings in June with various events, and 'Tartufo al Pinocchio’, the festival that takes place in November.

This is the context which surrounds the exhibition on the pictures of Pinocchio and his adventures. Visiting it can be a really fun way to retrace the episodes of a book that almost all children have read. Casa Culturale di San Miniato hosts a family-friendly exhibition which will fascinate even the youngest. It was curated by Filippo Lotti, exhibition curator, expert in contemporary art and organizer of events of an artistic and cultural nature.

The exhibition consists of 36 paintings deliberately all of the same size: they are square tiles measuring 50 cm each side. The San Miniato exhibition comprises works by each of the painters who were asked to interpret, according to their own artistic vein, one of the chapters of the fantastic adventures of Pinocchio. The result is a collection of paintings of Pinocchio of high artistic value, which brings together under one theme different techniques and artistic expressions, all incredibly fascinating. It couldn’t have been otherwise, given that the painters who ventured into the enterprise of creating wonderful paintings of Pinocchio and his adventures are among the most illustrious representatives of the Tuscan artistic scene. The invited artists are all Tuscan by birth or by adoption and come from all across the region (from Livorno, Carrara, Anghiari and from Grosseto): Antonio Biancalani, Maurizio Bini, Vincenzo Calli, Fabio Calvetti, Massimo Cantini, Claudio Cargiolli, Elio De Luca, Fabio De Poli, Raffaele De Rosa, Marco Dolfi, Franco Mauro Franchi, Danilo Fusi, Gianfranco Giannoni, Giuliano Giuggioli, Daniele Govi, Graziano Guiso, Ilaria Leganza, Massimo Lomi, Remo Lorenzetti, Riccardo Luchini, Mario Madiai, Marco Manzella, Gianfranco Masini, Giancarlo Montuschi, Elisa Nesi, Francesco Nesi, Paolo Nuti, Armando Orfeo, Nico Paladini, Cristina Palandri, Samuel Rosi (Muz), Lisandro Rota, Riccardo Ruberti, Francesco Sammicheli, Paolo Tesi, Stefania Valentini, Angiolo Volpe.

Are you ready to become a child again and dive into the incredible adventures of the most fantastic puppet in the world? The San Miniato events in honor of Pinocchio are always abundant and this collective painting exhibition in Tuscany is also an excellent opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful villages in the region. San Miniato is a treasure trove of beautiful old buildings perched on a hill from which you can enjoy breath-taking views of the surrounding territories. Plus, its location is truly strategic if you plan on visiting Tuscany: practically halfway between Florence and Pisa.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Book one of our hotels in San Miniato immersed in the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the Pisan hills and use it as a base from which to go exploring the thousand beauties of Tuscany. You can concentrate, for example, on the 'Renaissance Pearl' and opt for one of our engaging tours in Florence.
If, instead, your passion is for small ancient villages dotted all around Tuscany, then you should definitely take a look at the stimulating activities in our section on the villages of Tuscany: guided tours, tastings and breath-taking views will make your holiday truly unforgettable!

What are you waiting for? Pinocchio is waiting for you in Tuscany! Is it the village or the puppet calling you? Well, in this case… It’s both!