NaturArte

NaturArte: Art born from stone in Lentella

NaturArte is the summer event that transforms the hills of Lentella, a village in the Alto Vastese area of the Chieti province, into a vast open-air art studio. Organized by the Fattoria d'Arte I Colli in collaboration with the Municipality of Lentella and the local Pro Loco, the festival combines sculpture, painting, and music over two days of shared creativity, open to both professional artists and beginners.

A museum scattered across the hills

The heart of NaturArte is stone carving: artists sculpt blocks of Maiella stone and gypsum—materials characteristic of the Lentella area and the wider Vastese region that artistic director Ettore Altieri seeks to re-evaluate through art. The works created do not remain confined to the event; they are progressively installed throughout the village and along the scenic walking path, eventually forming a true open-air museum. The first totem dates back to the inaugural 2009 edition, and since then, every new piece has engaged in a dialogue with the previous ones, creating a permanent outdoor art trail.

Art, nature, and community

NaturArte is much more than just an event: it is a way to experience art in contact with the environment and the local village community. Painters and musicians gather around the sculptors in an informal atmosphere that involves both residents and visitors. The initiative, led by Ettore Altieri and Barbara Littore, focuses on the bond between creativity and the landscape, celebrating the identity of the Lentella hills and its traditions of stone craftsmanship.

The link with the Totem Festival

The works created at NaturArte often find a showcase during the Totem Festival, the summer music series held in the following months among the totems carved in various editions. This fusion of sculpture and music makes Lentella a cultural landmark in Abruzzo, where contemporary art and nature meet in a small village that has chosen to tell its story through creativity.