"We don't want day-trippers calling here out of curiosity. They only end up getting bored and leaving. It takes 3-4 hours for a complete visit and you need to be prepared to spend some time queuing up." These are the words of Giuliano Gori, the 65-year-old businessman and collector who converted his extensive farmland at Fattoria di Celle into a fabulous open-air museum, without a view for profit.
Fattoria di Celle is a magnificent villa built in the late 1600s in Santomato, a village in the Tuscan hills between Prato and Pistoia As Gori worked to put his project together he invited some of the top contemporary international artists to spend some time in Fattoria di Celle. Famous guests include Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Pistoletto, Burri, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Dani Karavan and Alice Aycock... all of whom spent several months with Gori working on their installations on site. The 67 works they left behind are a perfect union of nature and creativity, such as the by now famous maze, devised by Bob Morris.
"Currently there are a number of initiatives similar to the one here at Celle — says Gori — although site-specific art, such as our park in Celle, is often confused with art that is placed on site, rather than being created for it." Indeed Fattoria di Celle is much more than an open-air art collection. It is a sculpture park where each artist has been specially commissioned to create his or her work as an integral part of the surrounds.
The centuries-old trees and green parkland are the natural backdrop to these huge installations in bronze, resin, stone, marble and cement which are guaranteed to delight even the most sceptical visitor. If you want to visit the park send a fax to -39- 573-479486, explaining why you would like to view the installations, although don't be disappointed if your appointment is for Spring 2002 as the park closes to the public on September 30th.