Page 130 - Exploring Taste Magazine N.2

EXPLORING TASTE—SANTA MARGHERITA GRUPPO VINICOLO

Ca’ del Bosco is a special place that combines the excellence of wine with a unique experience of contemporary art. It was still a house surrounded by chestnut trees when
the mother of president Maurizio Zanella planted her f rst vineyard in 1964. Since then, over the years, it has turned into one of Italy’s most modern and cutting-edge
wineries. The harmony of Franciacorta’s natural landscape, with its vast and gentle hills and its seasonal colors, is the perfect background to enjoy the sculptures displayed
outside and inside the farmhouse, making your visit to the heart of art, tradition and nature one of a kind. But what do these big, weird objects made of marble, bronze and
recycled plastics have in common with wine? It was president Zanella’s idea to gather – from the beginning of the Eighties – a series of works of art, which contributed to
making such a picturesque location into a varied outdoor exhibition of contemporary art. Originally a private space, Erbusco’s winery has turned into a place open to the
public, to anyone with a passion for wine and art. Both art and wine are special and can equally of er sophisticated and sensory experiences. Both art and wine take time to
shape up, thus synthesizing human experience. They express the f nal stage of essence through time: art as link between man and matter, and wine as link between man
and nature. The f rst work of art to be seen is the estate’s huge bronze gate created by Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1993. His Hymn to the Sun consists of a circular structure with
a 5-meter diameter, opening up into two semicircles weighing 2,500 kg each. It is a great start for visitors strolling through a veritable park of environmental art, rich in
pleasant surprises, including an abstract installation in water, the enigmatic white face of Mitoraj and Rabarama’s work Codice Genetico [Genetic Code]. Equally surprising,
the interior part of the winery starts with a full-size rhinoceros hanging from the ceiling and welcoming visitors. It was created by Brescian artist Stefano Bombardieri,
who has an artistic background and has developed his techniques working and living in the Gardaland amusement park. Such a strongly nature-related place couldn’t but
pay tribute to Cracking Art, an art movement based on the exclusive use of recycled plastics, thus standing out for its social and environmental commitment. An artist and
co-founder of Cracking Art, Nucara chose to represent a symbolic animal, a wolf, as the thoughtful guardian of the woods and the vineyard. Nicknamed Blue Guardian, the
animal’s relationship with Ca’ del Bosco is multifaceted. For instance, the Valle del Lupo [the Wolf valley] runs from Erbusco to Ca’ del Bosco’s farmhouse. The benevolent
wolf watches over and protects this special place – a treasure of tradition and art.

Words CLARA MAZZOLENI
Photography MASSIMO LISTRI

EROI DI LUCE — Igor Mitoraj, 1991, Carrara marble sculpture

THE ART OF

CA’ DEL BOSCO

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