Empoli's 'Boule de Neige' Public Art Route Revives Forgotten Urban Spaces

The Tuscan city of Empoli launches 'Boule de Neige', a public art project curated by Sergio Risaliti and Antonella Nicola, running from November 2025 to February 15, 2026. Six artists—Marco Bagnoli, Francesca Banchelli, Chiara Bettazzi, Marcela Castañeda Florian, Giovane Ceruti, and David Reimondo—create site-specific installations in neglected areas like via Spartaco Lavagnini and piazza Madonna della Quiete. The project aims to regenerate the historic center by transforming vacant commercial spaces and symbolic sites into art venues. Works include Bagnoli's 'L'albero rovesciato (Della Luce innata)' in the cloister of the Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, and Reimondo's light projection in piazza Madonna della Quiete featuring Dante's verses. The initiative coincides with the exhibition 'Provincia Novecento. Arte a Empoli 1925–1960' at the Antico Ospedale San Giuseppe (November 8 to February 2026), curated by Belinda Bitossi, Marco Campigli, Cristina Gelli, and David Parri, which highlights Empoli's modernist art scene from the 1920s to 1960s.