Figure a D'oc – Artist Residency

An artist residency in the Ellero Valley

Figure a D'oc is a project dedicated to promoting the ancient and contemporary culture of the Ellero Valley through the lens of illustration. Born in Roccaforte Mondovì, in the province of Cuneo, in the heart of the Occitan Piedmont, the event invites an illustrator each year to experience and interpret the area. For a few days, the artist wanders the streets of the village and the hamlet of Prea, meets the locals, gathers tales and memories, and transforms them into new works that offer an original, contemporary perspective on the valley.

The 2026 edition dedicated to the Resistance

The second edition took place from April 27 to May 2, 2026, featuring illustrator Chiara Ficarelli, an author and teacher from Reggio Emilia trained at the Ars in Fabula school in Macerata. The central theme was the Resistance, reinterpreted through modern languages accessible to new generations in a continuous dialogue between art and local memory. The artist reworked the local history of the Resistance, blending illustration, research, and storytelling.

The public program

Alongside the residency work, Figure a D'oc opens its doors to the public for several gatherings and celebrations:

• April 30, 8:30 PM – "Vià", an evening at the Crusà dedicated to local Resistance stories and illustration;
• May 1, 3:00 PM – creative workshop for children led by the illustrator (registration required);
• May 1, 5:00 PM – presentation of the "Storie che restano" (Stories that remain) competition.

A community project

Figure a D'oc was born from the collaboration between the Circolo Acli Amici di Prea and the Illustrada Cultural Association, with the support of the Fondazione CRC, the patronage of the Municipality of Roccaforte Mondovì, and the collaboration of the Artusin Association and Kye+. More than a traditional festival, it is an intimate, widespread experience that makes the village and its community the true protagonist, strengthening the bond between the Occitan roots of the Ellero Valley and contemporary creativity.

Roccaforte Mondovì and the Ellero Valley

Located in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Roccaforte Mondovì is a mountain village overlooking the Ellero Valley, an area with Occitan traditions at the foot of the Maritime Alps. The hamlet of Prea, with its narrow alleys and ancient houses, provides the ideal setting for a residency aimed at bringing the area's intangible heritage to light, through dialect, folk tales, and alpine landscapes.