101 among hearts, little hearts, and works are part of a progressive exhibition open until the end of August
“Visit Stalettì and leave your heart” is the name of the initiative born from a proposal by the Ka’Minia Association which,
in agreement with the Council and the Municipal Administration of Stalettì, has given a new image to “Via
Concetta Lombardo” temporarily transforming it into the “Street of Hearts.” Thanks to the collaboration with
the two Stalettì associations “Laboratorio della solidarietà” and “Buona vita,” chaired
respectively by Anna Vatrella and Caterina Rizzo, an excellent synergy of intentions was created that involved
numerous artists called to characterize the poetic alley of the village with the symbol of love. Many
schoolchildren from the “M. Squillace” Comprehensive Institute of Montepaone and the Primary School
of Stalettì also participated in the initiative, leaving their own small great work in what has
become the first open-air art gallery dedicated to hearts.
At the invitation of the associations involved, artists from the Stalettì area created
unique heart-shaped artworks, and the use of different painting and sculpting techniques together with
various materials employed—including maritime pine boards, sheet metal, and zero-impact recycled materials—
gave shape to an original and evocative installation that will remain on display for the entire
summer. The children’s little hearts, accompanied by special dedications, have embellished the facades
of the houses overlooking Via Lombardo, creating a unique experiential path
made of colors, shapes, emotions, and feelings.
The installation of the Street of Hearts is the first phase of a broader project called “Radici”
which the president of the Ka’Minia Association, Attilio Armone, is carrying forward with Jessica Ticozzelli,
a Milanese artist and photographer. Armone’s idea was to combine two events that both aim
to explore the relationship between our places, time, and people in line with the association’s mission
focused on the protection and enhancement of the territory overlooking the Gulf of Squillace. The enthusiastic
participation in the project clearly represents a strong signal towards the virtuous growth
of a community that loves its places, its origins, and looks to the future with hope and a unique attention
to the beauty and goodness that our land has to offer and, therefore, to be preserved in the best possible way.
The open-air art gallery was inaugurated by Mayor Mario Gentile, the tourism delegate of the
Municipality, Salvatore Bocchino, and Attilio Armone. During the event, the latter presented a video
manifesto that echoed the speech given by Renzo Piano during his appointment as senator for life and which, thanks to the images by Alfonso Sanso as a backdrop, united art, architecture, and environmental protection.
The words and visual suggestions presented perfectly reflect the aims
of the Ka’Minia Association in Stalettì and those of Armone, who, like Piano, is convinced, as a Calabrian,
to be a privileged “guardian of an extraordinary beauty that is envied and of which we can be proud, that
we have inherited and must carry into the future with responsibility.” Armone renewed this commitment
in front of Mayor Gentile, who fully understood his intentions, considering the video an
extraordinary tool for raising community awareness and for the protection and promotion of the territory,
as well as assuring his support for the manifesto already adopted by the president of the Stalettì Council,
Massimo Stirparo, and by a group of architects and artists from the lands of the Gulf of Squillace, including Giacomo
Viscomi, Salvatore Cerullo, Alessandra Pasqua, and Miti Aiello.
Gianni Bartolotti, vice president of the Council, introduced the artist Ticozzelli, who has already taken over
6,000 shots in the most archaeologically significant and beautiful areas of the Stalettì territory. She
shared with an attentive and interested audience the project idea of spreading these endless
beauties and promoting the territory among those who are still unaware of it or those who are torn between staying and returning, concepts that well describe the relationship between people and their land of origin, perhaps poor
in opportunities but immense in the emotions it gives. Ticozzelli’s photos will travel around the
lands hosting Calabrians in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, and America, but some of the most
iconic shots were shown to the public by the author, who said she was enthusiastic and eager to further expand her
study on Stalettì and who has provided a new perspective on historical sites, landscapes, and artifacts.
The hearts exhibition is a work in progress: it will welcome until the end of August the contribution of those who wish to leave their
artistic testimony for the benefit of the community. At the moment there are 101 among hearts, little hearts, and works,
but more are already on the way; among those already installed stand out the signatures of: Rosalba Russo, Salvatore Cerullo,
artistic workshop “Mare&Maree,” Graziella Rocca, associations “Laboratorio della solidarietà” and “Buona
vita,” Francesca Ciliberti with her CerAmiche, Lenny Mazzitelli, Antonio Vaccaro, Antonio Burgello.
The President
Attilio Armone
