Even on vacation, being inspired by the power of art means cultivating a passion for beauty and watering that seed of creativity which, I'm sure, is ready to germinate in each of us.

Buildings with sinuous shapes or old converted buildings, but also disused industrial structures that have recovered their ancient dignity: modern art museums are now themselves true forms of art, spaces adapted in order to contain precious collections, but also precious casings designed to amaze. So then you want to walk through the entrance, walk through the halls and admire the installations because art always represents, even for the less experienced, a sort of “spiritual nourishment”, an educational path to beauty.

So here is the reason for this “artistic” post, created to showcase some modern art museums to visit not far from our La Darbia. The Pistoletto Foundation immediately comes to mind, a true "City of Art" conceived in Biella within a disused factory. Inside the premises of this old textile factory there are many works by master Michelangelo Pistoletto, a celebrated exponent of poor art, a brilliant and committed artist, a tenacious experimenter of innovative materials and techniques.
From the mirror paintings to the Venus of the Rags to the Third Paradise, in the large halls of the wool mill we can admire masterpieces celebrated all over the world, works of contemporary art with a strong emotional impact, creative installations that push us to reflect on the distortions of modern society.

Another "temple" of art is represented by the Castello di Rivoli, a historic building that houses the important Museum of Contemporary Art. I find the combination of ancient and modern perfectly successful, the mixture that unites the aristocratic architecture of a stately building and the irreverent and colorful installations of today's artists. The baroque rooms of the castle house many works by artists active from the 1960s to today, including Lucio Fontana, Maurizio Cattelan, Joseph Kosuth, Bill Viola and the aforementioned Pistoletto.

And if we want to stay in the surroundings of our Lake Orta, the wonderful Calderara Foundation is a must, an art home that represents the pride of our territory. The seventeenth-century building that houses the works of Antonio Calderara is a building in which more than three hundred sculptures and paintings of enormous value have found their place. A true master of abstract art, a native of Milan, Calderara chose to live in the quiet hills of Cusio, in the small hamlet of Vacciago, almost in ascetic isolation. But in his wonderful home he managed to gather a cenacle of artists, with whom he began a fruitful exchange of works, which are today the nucleus of a precious and refined collection. For this reason, in the Calderara house we can admire masterpieces by Josef Albers, Piero Manzoni, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Jesus Raphael Soto.

Leaving the museum, even those who are not experts in modern art have the feeling of taking home a small treasure, made of soft colors and serene atmospheres, rigorous and refined geometries, “shadowless” lights. Many will also appreciate the less abstract works, such as the views of the lake and the island of San Giulio, the still lifes and portraits of his wife and beloved daughter Gabriella.
Let me tell you that when great art passes by, everything looks better!