Via Francigena Becomes Open-Air Museum with Three Artist Installations

On July 12, the project 'Lo spazio del cielo' was inaugurated along the Via Francigena in Lazio, transforming the historic pilgrimage route into an open-air museum. Organized by CoopCulture in collaboration with Arci, the initiative won the public call 'Arte sui Cammini' promoted by the Lazio Region. It features site-specific installations by artists Alfredo Pirri, Elena Mazzi, and Matteo Nasini, located near Viterbo, Vetralla, and Caprarola. Pirri's work turns a former guardhouse at the Ex Terme Inps into a luminous lantern. Mazzi's sculpture '300.000 anni in 344 centimetri' at Fossato Callo is a peperino stone slab on a corten pedestal, carved with a geological map of the Vetralla landscape, inviting tactile interaction. Nasini's 'Campo sintonico' comprises four installations near a paragliding launch area in Caprarola that produce sound through wind interaction. The project aims to promote slow, experiential tourism and includes the ArtPlanner digital tool for schools to create customized itineraries. CoopCulture president Giovanna Barni emphasized the initiative's role in linking cultural heritage, landscape, and contemporary art to strengthen community ties.