"Artists & Collectors for Pinocchio" Exhibition - Villa Vidua

An exhibition for the 200th anniversary of Collodi in Conzano

In 2026, the Municipality of Conzano, a small village in the Casale Monferrato area in the province of Alessandria (Piedmont), pays tribute to one of the most universal characters in Italian literature with the collective exhibition "Artists & Collectors for Pinocchio". The exhibition, hosted in the halls of Villa Vidua, was created to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Carlo Lorenzini, known worldwide by the pseudonym Collodi, the father of the wooden puppet that has never stopped speaking to children and adults alike since 1881.

Over twenty artists and three collectors

The heart of the exhibition is the dialogue between contemporary art and the passion for collecting. More than twenty artists offer their personal interpretation of Pinocchio, while three collectors open the fruits of years of research to the public. The names involved include artists such as Emiliano Cavalli, Gianni Cella, Flavio Costantini, and Ezio Gribaudo, alongside the collections of Graziella Maule, Giuseppe Chiatellino, and Cesare Barone.

• A sea of memorabilia: objects, accessories, and figurines in glazed terracotta, steel, plexiglass, Ronzan ceramics, and wood
• Rare editions, including historical copies of the Giornale per i Bambini in which Pinocchio appeared in installments between 1881 and 1883
• Editions in over 240 languages, comic book and manga versions, as well as Braille and LIS (Italian Sign Language) editions
• Light installations by Vinicio Benci, Tiziana Chiatellino, Giulia Digo, and Erica Martinetti

Side events and the Pinocchio Walk

The exhibition does not end within the halls of Villa Vidua. Throughout the summer, side events will enliven the village of Conzano: evening outdoor film screenings dedicated to the many adaptations of the fairy tale and an evocative nocturnal "Pinocchio Walk," designed to discover the town and its hidden corners by the light of the installations. An urban mural completes the itinerary, bringing the puppet outside the villa's walls.

Villa Vidua, the cultural hub of Monferrato

Villa Vidua has been the center of cultural initiatives for the Municipality of Conzano for years, hosting high-level art exhibitions, displays, and conferences. The residence is linked to the figure of the explorer and traveler Carlo Vidua, whose memory it preserves, and represents one of the most interesting destinations for those visiting Monferrato, a wine-growing landscape recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The exhibition dedicated to Pinocchio is the perfect opportunity to combine the discovery of the Piedmontese territory with an art tour suitable for the whole family.