An immersive journey through the works of Viareggio-born painter and writer Alfredo Catarsini.
Over 40 works are housed in ten exhibition venues in public buildings that can be reached on foot, by bicycle, or by other means, via three stages of varying lengths that connect Lucca to Versilia, crossing the Val Freddana.
The Catarsini Trail is a multi-site exhibition narrated through eight totems positioned at key points and equipped with QR codes that open pages full of information and audio recordings of the artworks' descriptions and all the texts, for a unique experience in Italy, accessible and inclusive even for the blind and visually impaired.
A journey through art, history, and landscape, with biographical details on Alfredo Catarsini, curiosities about Giacomo Puccini, images and descriptions of the works on display, and information on the food and wine of the Lucca hinterland and the Versilia coast.
In Lucca, a walk through frescoes, nature, and panoramas in two stages of approximately 13 km.
Starting the route from Lucca, the pfirst stop is Palazzo Orsetti, a sumptuous building constructed in the 16th century by the Diodati family on the foundations of a medieval palace. The State Room, on the ground floor, displays five important paintings from Catarsini's artistic production: marble quarries, seascapes, and the works of Reflexism and Mechanical Symbolism, linked to the two new artistic movements resulting from the artist's experimentation and pictorial research.
La The second stop is the church of San Tommaso Apostolo, in the Lucca hamlet of Castagnori.
Leaving the historic center of Lucca behind, exiting through the Renaissance Porta Santa Maria, the route begins towards the countryside and the Lucca hills. A succession of villas and historic residences, rustic farmhouses, silent woods, unspoiled nature, and views of the valley, until reaching the small Romanesque church of San Tommaso Apostolo (1260).
Between 1943 and 1945, to escape the German bombings of Versilia, young Alfredo and his family abandoned Viareggio and moved to San Martino in Freddana. After the end of the war, the artist was commissioned to fresco the two walls to either side of the main altar of the nearby church of San Tommaso Apostolo, and he chose to depict both walls. The Calling of the DisciplesIn these places dear to him, he created the frescoes with a profound spirit of gratitude: the war was finally over and life was returning, with new hopes and energy to devote to reconstruction.
The Camino continues towards San Martino in Freddana and Versilia with other stops and experiences to enjoy…
il experiential laboratory, by appointment, for all Catarsini enthusiasts with visual impairments, who will be able to learn about and interpret his art, in the exhibition venue of Villa Bertelli in Forte dei Marmi;
thegastronomic experience, with delicious local dishes to be enjoyed in the restaurants of the area who have created a special menu dedicated to Catarsini.
The Versilian stages of Catarsini's journey
