Astino Valley Monastery Reopens with Restored Artworks in Bergamo

The Monastero del Santo Sepolcro in Astino, near Bergamo, has been restored by Fondazione Mia and now hosts a curated exhibition by Alessandra Civai. The show traces the building's millennial history and returns long-dispersed artworks to their original locations, including paintings by Pietro Sorri, Antonio Cifronfi, and Marcantonio Cesareo, as well as terracotta fragments from a lost 16th-century Lamentation over the Dead Christ. A 3D video reconstructs the architectural history, and 'sound showers' narrate the artworks' origins. The free app 'Astino arte natura agricoltura' (by Smilevisit) offers seven itineraries for art walks, trekking, and mountain biking. The valley itself is an agricultural oasis with a botanical garden section, nestled between Boschi dell'Allegrezza and Colle della Benaglia. Bergamo is also noted for the GAMEC exhibition of Trento Longaretti's public commissions for his centenary, and Contemporary Locus's site-specific works in abandoned industrial and historical architectures.