This important cultural project of the Orestiadi Foundation has found a home in an abandoned farmhouse
An exhibition space that gives voice to the history and creativity of Mediterranean cultures and the work of Italy's greatest contemporary artists Before being damaged by the 1968 earthquake, Baglio Di Stefano was for a long time an abandoned farmhouse in the Gibellina countryside. The story of its redevelopment began in the 1980s, when the mayor Ludovico Corrao decided to buy and restore it to transform it into the headquarters of the Orestiadi High Culture Foundation. Baglio Di Stefano is definitely a place all visitors to Gibellina should not miss. The large restored rooms host works by great masters, exhibitions, cultural events and art workshops. The traditional farmhouse spaces – the granary, the farmhouse proper and the courtyards – host an exhibition itinerary that combines contemporary art and Mediterranean cultures.
The tour begins outside with Mimmo Paladino's iconic Mountain of Salt (1990). Originally the setting for Schiller's The Bride of Messina, this large sculpture made of concrete, fibreglass and rubble has become a permanent installation that dominates the landscape with its thirty wooden horses.
The tour continues between the stone arches of the vast granary where visitors are welcomed by the Flying Carpet (2000), a majestic work in rope and copper created by the Kurdish social centre Ararat. Following a chronological order, the layout of the granary features an artistic dialogue from the 1950s to the 1970s and 1980s, with works by Alighiero Boetti, Toti Scialoja, Mimmo Germanà, Nunzio, Rocco Genovese, Joseph Beuys, Antonio Corpora and Sebastian Matta.
The main farmhouse has housed the Museum of Mediterranean Cultures since 1996. In contains displays of decorative art objects, clothes, costumes, jewellery, textiles and ceramics from across the Mediterranean, which dialogue with pieces from Ludovico Corrao's personal collection.
Quick overview
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Opening days
Open from Tuesday to Sunday
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Closing days
Monday
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Opening times
From 9:00 am till 1:00 pm - From 3:00 pm till 6:00 pm
Last admission at 5:00 pm -
How to reach
By car:
From Palermo, take the Palermo-Mazara del Vallo motorway and exit at Gibellina - Web
Services
- Bookshop
- Visits Available in Italian, English
Suggested periods
- Autumn
- Event
- Spring
- Weekend
Visiting Rules
Basic rules:
All visitors are invited to observe the basic rules of respect for the preservation of monuments
Covid 19 rules:
Visitors are requested to wear a mask in enclosed or heavily crowded areas and to maintain the safety distance indicated by the regulations in force