MYTHOLOGY FESTIVAL
Myths, gods and heroes in Villa Arconati
As Homer teaches, the gods have always sent stories to men so that we would have something to tell. Myths are stories, but they are also representations of ourselves, of the values, vices and virtues that we have embodied for centuries.
Villa Arconati has been populated by heroes and deities of classical mythology since the seventeenth century; it is the ideal place, therefore, to tell stories of beauty, art and culture, but also of love, truth and justice starting from the stories of its theatres, its statues, and its wonderful frescoes.
Fondazione Augusto Rancilio organizes - in continuity with the "Agenda 2030" project - under the artistic direction of Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, the first edition of the "Mythology Festival" which will span the entire season with 4 events and a themed white night:
Sunday 28 April at 11.00
Myths and women, with Eva Cantarella, prof. emeritus of the University of Milan, Italian historian, jurist and sociologist
Minerva, goddess of Justice, towers over the dome of the staircase of Villa Arconati, scrutinizing the guests who "ascend" to the main floor. Diana in her theater protects the woods of Castellazzo and the virtue of the visiting young ladies.
Female deities suggest the relationship with affection and love, for oneself and for others.
Sunday 5 May at 11.00
Myths and nature, with Matteo Nucci, writer
On the top part of the Limonaia an ancient terracotta medallion has been preserved which depicts the myth of Pan and Syringe. Right below the medallion, a young Satyr is busy enjoying a tasty bunch of ripe grapes. These are just some of the many references to Nature present in the Villa and in the Garden. Of all of them, the main reference, however, is undoubtedly that of the Seasons, which we find in the beautiful seventeenth-century sculptures of the Teatro delle Quattro Stagioni. They also find themselves incarnated in the goddess of Spring, Flora, and in the goddess of Summer, Ceres, in the Chambers of the Seasons, to finally find themselves in the Zodiac Room, where precious stucco medallions offer a detailed iconography under the zodiac signs. The Myth is very rich in references to Nature and Nature at Villa Arconati is populated with Myths: what suggestions can still be found today in a world that too often forgets the primordial relationship with nature?
Saturday 15 June | THE WHITE NIGHT OF MYTH
Program being defined
with:
Theatre: Laura Marinoni interprets Medea with theatrical readings
History of mythology: with Silvia Romani, professor at the University of Milan, Religions of the classical world, Anthropology of the classical world, Classical mythology
Art history: “The Myth of Leonardo” with prof. Pietro Marani
"Myths and symbolic language: the awakening of the Soul" with Prof. Paolo Pellicini
A journey starting from the myths, which involves works of art investigating the symbolic language of the myth of Phaeton; myth of Diana and Actaeon; Eros; myth of Muta or Mutea; myth of Sisyphus; myth of the Puer aeternus; myth of Fantaso, son of Hypnos.
Music: with Elio Marchesini on percussion
Yoga: yoga performance with Francesca de Cet with a "Sun Salutations" class
Sunday 22 September at 11.00
Myths as Beauty, speaker in the definition phase
Everything in Villa Arconati is a beauty outside of time, which actually seems to grow thanks to what time leaves with its slow inexorable flow. There is, however, a type of beauty that characterizes the plasticity of sculpture and which becomes material beauty: think of the statues of the Senses, which manage to shape Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch in the hard stone. And let us think again of the tragic beauty of Laocoön, who teaches us the extreme self-sacrifice for an ideal of Truth. Which beauty will save the world?
Sunday 20 October at 11.00
The Myth of Phaeton, with Marcello Veneziani, philosopher and writer
The Myth of Phaeton is the "secret message" of the Arconati for their Guests of every era: the breathtaking beauty of the fresco by the Galliari Brothers questions us about who we are, who we would like to be and what we show of ourselves to others.
The "Mythology Festival" events are free, open to the public with limited places. After the meetings it will be possible to visit the Villa after purchasing the entrance ticket.
Villa Arconati – Fondazione Augusto Rancilio
Via Madonna Fametta, 1, Castellazzo di Bollate (MI)
www.villaarconati-far.it | info@fondazioneaugustorancilio.com t. 02.3502217 – 393.8680934