'Art into play' at Castel Belasi

Castel Belasi is considered by medieval and modern history lovers one of the most interesting architectures in Trentino.

The restoration work in progress is giving us back a unique building, valuable and impressive, in fact an important tile belonging to the noteworthy mosaic which is the historical and architectural heritage of the Val di Non.

During this summer Castel Belasi opens its doors to host the exhibition 'Art into play': contemporary art and antique toys meet each other in the severe rooms of the castle.

The exhibition features a selection of about one hundred pieces from one of the world's major collections of vintage toys, marionettes and puppets: the Zanella / Pasqualini collection of Budrio (Bo), first for completeness and fame in Italy with its nine thousand pieces.

On display we can admire rare toys, made between the late nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century: rocking horses with buggy or tricycle-like, wooden airplanes, dolls, toy theatres with plaster marionettes.

The toys exhibited in the various rooms not only get in touch with the castle itself, but they’re also flanked by important works of contemporary art, some of which are specifically dedicated to the theme of playing.

In the castle courtyards and in the rooms of the first and second floors, the six artists of national and international reputation who have accepted the invitation to attend the event with their artworks are: Paolo Tait and Pietro Weber from Trentino, Luigi Stoisa, Franco Rasma and Marcovinicio from Piedmont, and last but not least the great Japanese sculptor Kengiro Azuma, pupil and spiritual heir of Marino Marini.

Free admission