De Linea Art Festival

An illustration festival in the heart of the Sienese Chianti

The De Linea Art Festival is an event entirely dedicated to contemporary illustration, graphic design, and visual arts, held every spring at the Certosa di Pontignano, a hamlet in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the province of Siena. Established in 2024, the festival has quickly become one of Tuscany's most original cultural appointments, bringing some of the most prominent names in the Italian illustration scene to the hills of the Sienese Chianti.

The Certosa di Pontignano, an open-air studio

The beating heart of the festival is the Certosa di Pontignano, an ancient monastic complex founded in the 14th century and now a conference center for the University of Siena, nestled among olive groves, vineyards, and Italian gardens. For two days, the cloisters, historic halls, and gardens are transformed into a large collective studio: illustrators work live in the Cloister of the Cells under the eyes of the public, while exhibitions and installations animate the spaces of the Certosa, embellished by Renaissance frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti and Francesco Vanni.

Artist residencies and protagonists

The De Linea format revolves around artist residencies: each year, a team of leading illustrators and graphic designers is invited to create and engage with the public. Notable names who have participated in past editions include Marina Marcolin, Francesco Poroli, Ale Giorgini, Elisa Macellari, Matteo Berton, Gianluca Folì, Gloria Pizzilli, Giovanna Giuliano, and cartoonist Daniele Caluri. Alongside the residencies, the program offers thematic exhibitions, talks with authors and cultural figures, concerts, theatrical performances, and site-specific dance shows.

A festival for schools and families

A significant part of De Linea is dedicated to education and younger audiences: the illustration competition involves students from art high schools in Siena, Florence, and Grosseto, as well as institutes in Castelnuovo Berardenga and Gaiole in Chianti, with finalist works displayed during the weekend and an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Numerous workshops are available for adults and children, covering watercolor, en plein air drawing, anatomy, calligraphy, kintsugi-inspired collage, and printing press techniques in collaboration with the Fondazione Il Bisonte.

Art, music, and performance

Beyond drawing, the festival blends different languages with concerts, readings, theatrical shows, and dance performances. Guided tours of the Certosa allow visitors to discover the complex's artistic and architectural heritage, while a bookshop dedicated to illustrated publishing and stay packages complete the experience. Today, the De Linea Art Festival is a benchmark for illustration enthusiasts, families, and tourists looking to experience Tuscany and the Sienese Chianti in a creative and contemporary way.