Piccola Parigi

A town that becomes an open-air gallery

There is one day, every late August, when Quistello — a small municipality in the Bassa Mantovana region, in the Province of Mantua — sheds its skin as an agricultural village and transforms into a Padan petite Montmartre. It's Piccola Parigi, an event that fills the streets and squares of the historic center with painters' easels, sculptures, live music, and performance shows by over 200 artists from all over Italy.

Since 2012, an idea that has become tradition

The event was born in 2012 from an intuition by Caterina Borghi and in just a few years it has grown to become a fixed cultural appointment on the Lombardy calendar. The name evokes the bohemian atmosphere of Parisian artist districts, where art is experienced in the street, in direct contact with the public. The same happens in Quistello: no distance between creator and viewer, between the canvas and the passerby.

The 2026 theme

Each edition follows a common thread. The 2026 edition has chosen the theme "From dream to reality towards happiness", interpreted by artists through painting, installation, and performance. Among the confirmed initiatives is the Premio Giovani (Young Artists Award) dedicated to under-25s (aged 16-25) for the painting and sculpture categories, with ten awards and a first prize of 500 euros; the jury, curated by Paola Artoni, brings together artists and industry professionals in collaboration with the art high school of Mantua and the academies of Verona and Ravenna.

Art, solidarity, and territory

Piccola Parigi is not just an exhibition: it's also a social project. The auction of jackets decorated by artists, made with the historic maison Lubiam, donates the proceeds to the Centro Aiuto alla Vita (Help for Life Center), while workshops involve local organizations like the Rossonano residence. All of this takes place within the framework of the Fiera di San Bartolomeo, the patronal festival that has animated Quistello for centuries at the end of August.

Why it's worth the trip

Far from the major circuits and precisely for this reason authentic, Piccola Parigi is an opportunity to discover a less-traveled corner of Lombardy, where contemporary art dialogues with rural tradition and with Mantuan cuisine of pumpkin tortelli. Just one day, to be experienced by strolling with your nose up among artworks, colors, and music.