Twin Sisters Launch Artist Residency in Molise

Twin sisters and artists Maria Elena and Alicya Ricciuto have founded Le Fonticelle di Frosolone, an artist residency in the Molise region of southern Italy. The project, based in their family home in Frosolone (province of Isernia), aims to revive an abandoned ancient mule track. Born in Isernia in 1997, the sisters studied painting in Florence, then Alicya specialized in painting in Urbino and Elena in museology and museography in Macerata. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they returned to a childhood path near their home, which became the residency's focus. The residency invites artists to work on the mule track and engage with the local environment. In 2024, they introduced a craft residency collaborating with local artisan Rocco Petrunti, focusing on Frosolone's tradition of scissors and knife making. The 2024 residency was exhibited at Spazio Torrso in Pesaro. In 2024, they participated in Artcity in Bologna, presenting two artists from the first edition. In 2023, their fanzine was presented at MACTE – Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Termoli. The sisters describe themselves as 'nomadic settlers' and emphasize sharing and conviviality. They aim to build a network across Italy while remaining rooted in Molise, citing the region's slow pace and authenticity as strengths. They acknowledge challenges in sustaining the project and educating a local audience unfamiliar with contemporary art, but value direct dialogue and community building.