Lenzuola d'Arte

An open-air museum in the alleys of Cilento

Lenzuola d'Arte is a widespread exhibition that every summer turns the historic center of Cicerale, a small town in the province of Salerno overlooking the hills of inland Cilento, into an outdoor contemporary art trail. Large painted cloths and sheets are draped between house facades, over alleys, and in front of the arches and portals of the old village, creating a direct dialogue between the artworks, the stone architecture, and the hilly landscape opening toward the sea.

The project was born from an idea by artists Gerardo Bisogni and Enrico Visconti, promoters of the Lenzuola d'Arte Association, and arrived in Cicerale building on experience gained in other towns in the province of Salerno. The event is held under the patronage of the Municipality of Cicerale, the Province of Salerno, and the Campania Region, and is hosted locally by the Pro Loco and the San Giorgio cultural association.

The concept: laundry as a work of art

The inspiration comes from a daily, familiar gesture common throughout Southern Italy: laundry hung between balconies in historic centers. For the project's creators, those taut lines are, allegorically, bridges to others, hands reached out to neighbors, a sign of hospitality and community. By replacing laundry with painted sheets, the event transforms a domestic element into an artistic medium and restores a shared dimension to the village, where art is not confined to a room but inhabits the street.

The result is a true urban land art operation: the works are not simply hung, but interact with the light, the wind, and the village's vistas. Walking through Cicerale during the exhibition means constantly looking up and rediscovering corners of the historic center that one usually passes by without noticing.

A widespread route between Cicerale and Montecicerale

The exhibition itinerary is not limited to the main village core: the installations also reach the hamlet of Montecicerale, with its alleys and panoramic viewpoints. The visit is self-guided, with no tickets or fixed hours, following the works from house to house and square to square. The sheets are created by artists from various Italian regions and different countries, using highly varied techniques and languages: figurative painting, abstraction, graphic signs, and material interventions.

• Historic center of Cicerale — the heart of the route, among alleys, arches, and small squares
• Courtyard of the former Palazzo Marchesale — the traditional venue for the inauguration and meetings with artists
• Montecicerale — the upper hamlet, with installations overlooking the Cilento landscape

A traveling project in Cilento

Cicerale is one of the stops of Lenzuola d'Arte in Tour, the traveling format with which the association brings works donated by artists to multiple villages in Campania: over the years, the project has also touched Eboli, Capaccio, and Ispani, gradually expanding to new centers. Each stop adds new works to the event's collective heritage, which grows from season to season.

What to see in Cicerale

Cicerale stands at an altitude of about 600 meters, within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a recognized UNESCO World Heritage site. The town's name recalls the cultivation of chickpeas, an identity product of the territory, and the village preserves its medieval layout with stone houses, portals, and narrow alleys that make the exhibition route particularly evocative. Its position makes it a convenient base for visiting the Cilento hinterland and for quickly reaching the coast between Agropoli and Acciaroli.

Why visit

Lenzuola d'Arte is a free event, suitable for families, that combines a walk through an authentic village with the discovery of contemporary art. For those spending their holidays in Cilento, it is an opportunity to leave the beach for a few hours and head inland, especially in the evening hours when the temperature is more pleasant and the illuminated sheets create a unique atmosphere.