Certaldo: CertaldoArte25 kicks off, in the footsteps of Giovanni Boccaccio

Will Giovanni Boccaccio, the writer to whom Certaldo gave birth to and whose birthday is celebrated this year 650 years since death, the common thread of the 5 exhibitions of “CertaldoArte25”, a contemporary art exhibition organized by the Municipality of Certaldo and sponsored by Regional Council, with the coordination and the installation project of Exponent, which reaches its fifth edition.

Protagonists of the event, which will be held in the halls of Praetorian Palace from Saturday March 1st to January 18th 2026, they will be 9 Italian and international artists, whose works range from paintings and sculptures, art installations up to Jewelry: Thomas Lange, Mutsuo Hirano, Marica Fasoli, Valentina Palazzari, Marcella Conte, Marco Frangini, Valerio Salvadori, Arthur Duff, Antonio Marchetti Lamera.

Each of them will exhibit awork dedicated to the great writer.

La Program presentation was held yesterday morning (Thursday 27 February) in the Sassoli Media Center of Pegaso PalaceThe regional councilors intervened Francesco Gazzetti, secretary quaestor of the Office of the Presidency of the Tuscan Assembly, and Enrico Sostegni. With them John Campatelli, mayor of Certaldo, Clara Conforti, municipal councilor for culture, and Francesca Parri, curator and project coordinator for Exponent.

The exhibition will open on March 1st with “Boccaccio 25“, exhibition of the German painter Thomas Long and of the Japanese sculptor Mutsuo Hirano, open until May 18th.

Swaddle (Berlin 1957) presents 30 large paintings where the past overlaps with the present: icons from Botticelli and Pontormo coexist with contemporary figures, such as the women of Teheran. Among the most significant works is the cycle of the landings of Lampedusa.

Le terracotta sculptures di Hirano (Hyogo, Kyoto, 1952) accompany the exhibition route, arranged in commentary on the pictorial images.

From March 15th to May 4th it will be the turn of "Precious tales, contemporary jewels between narration and symbolism".

The authors, Marcella Conte, jewelry designer, Mark Frangini (Florence, 1962) and Valerio Salvadori (Florence, 1966), designers and master goldsmiths, reinterpret the Tuscan goldsmith tradition.

Alongside a selection of individual works, you can admire 2 collective creations inspired by the “Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio.

Il 17st May it will open “Why make a work when it is so beautiful to just dream about it?”, Arthur Duff (Wiesbaden, 1973) and Antonio Marchetti Lamera (Bergamo, 1964), which explores Boccaccian places with light installations, paintings and a video work.

From May 31st to September 7th Marica Fasoli (Bussolengo, Verona, 1977) will present “folds“, a research on theorigami and the geometric movement, with a work inspired by Corbaccio.

The review will close fiametta di Valentina Palazzari (Terni, 1975) from September 27, 2025 to January 18, 2026: a tribute to female figure celebrated by Boccaccio, between sculpture, painting and installation.

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The regional councilor Francesco Gazzetti, stressed that the event “it brings together the effort to preserve and promote the memory of Boccaccio, an excellence not only of Tuscany, but of all of Europe, with contemporaneity and a vision of the future”.

Enrico Sostegni, regional councilor representing the Empolese Valdelsa area, spoke about “an exhibition that is becoming increasingly consolidated and that constitutes an important element of valorization of the entire village of Certaldo, which has a historical center that has remained intact in the heart of Valdelsa, an area rich in cultural and environmental resources”.

“CertaldoArte is an event that has been able to grow and renew itself, always keeping alive the dialogue between our community and the world of contemporary art. – said the mayor John Campatelli.

This fifth edition marks an important step, because it confirms the national scope of the event and, at the same time, introduces an international opening with the participation of artists from Germany and Japan”.

The mayor then underlined how the exhibition fits into the panorama of Boccaccio's celebrations by uniting tradition and contemporaneity, "a sign of how art can be a bridge between different eras, cultures and languages".

The councillor Clara Conforti he reiterated that “Giovanni Boccaccio's medieval village confirms itself as the ideal location to enhance the most varied artistic expressions”.

“The works exhibited - he said - will intertwine with the history and unique atmosphere of Certaldo, offering visitors an engaging and stimulating artistic experience in a fascinating combination of tradition and innovation”.

“The works of nine important artists will be set up in the rooms of Palazzo Pretorio, an important and evocative location for hosting exhibitions and artistic installations - he has declared Francesca Parri, organizer of the event for the fifth consecutive year.

Certaldo is a magnet for artists and visitors. It is no coincidence that it has taken on an international role, confirming that the marriage between medieval art and contemporary art works.

The ancient village is preparing to welcome the visitor to transport him into an artistic dimension between past and present”.

To realize the official logo of the celebrations of the 650th anniversary of Boccaccio's death, the artist from Certaldo Fabio Calvetti.