LA.BO. — Land Art Festival

An art laboratory in the woods of Tornimparte

LA.BO. — Land Art Festival is an artistic project that brings contemporary art every summer into the heart of the woods of Tornimparte, a small town in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Born in 2023, the festival builds a bridge between artistic expression and the landscape: for one week, a group of selected artists lives in residence in the area and creates ephemeral installations along the mountain paths, using exclusively natural materials gathered on-site.

Ephemeral and site-specific art

LA.BO. works are not designed to last: they are site-specific, engaging with natural elements and the changing seasons, before slowly returning to the forest. It is precisely this ephemeral and sustainable dimension that makes the festival different from a traditional exhibition. The installations are scattered along the so-called Percorso della salute (Health Trail), a path that visitors can explore on foot, discovering creations immersed among trees, clearings, and glimpses of the Apennine landscape.

The roots: the tradition of the charcoal burners

The festival is deeply rooted in the history of the territory and, in particular, in the ancient tradition of the charcoal burners of Tornimparte, reinterpreted through contemporary artistic languages. The forest, once a place of hard labor for those who produced charcoal, thus becomes a space for reflection and creativity, where cultural memory, nature, and art intertwine. LA.BO. invites participants to rediscover the cultural roots of the place with a fresh and sustainable perspective.

A festival that involves the community

Organized by the Municipality of Tornimparte, LA.BO. is a free event open to everyone, designed to weave together art, nature, and village life. Over the years, the festival has been enriched with side initiatives, such as the editorial workshop that in 2025 led to the creation of a fanzine dedicated to telling the story of the project. For a small community like Tornimparte, LA.BO. represents an original way to enhance its natural and cultural heritage, attracting visitors, art enthusiasts, and the curious into the greenery of the L'Aquila Apennines.