IN CAMMINO. La porta di Torino: itinerari Sindonici sulla Via Francigena
Religious, inclusive and sustainable tourism at the center of the “Via Francigena for All” project with the exhibition In cammino. The Gateway to Turin: Shroud Itineraries on the Via Francigena, presented at Palazzo Madama – Museo Civico d’Arte Antica in Turin from July 13 to Oct. 10, 2023, and now on display from Dec. 13, 2023 to June 14, 2024 in Brussels, in the Regione Piemonte headquarters.
It is a multidisciplinary and interactive path, a true virtual journey that highlights the historical and contemporary centrality of Turin and Piedmont, home of the Holy Shroud and main access to the Peninsula along the pilgrimage on the Via Francigena.
It is being carried out by Regione Piemonte in collaboration with Palazzo Madama – Turin’s Civic Museum of Ancient Art – and the Carlo Acutis Foundation.
Details
The project, also supported by ENIT, sees at its center the Via Francigena as one of the highest expressions of the promotion of religious and inclusive tourism and as an opportunity to dwell on one of Italy’s most important pilgrimage routes: the one that crosses Piedmont by means of the exhibition/trail that narrates the territory highlighting the historical and contemporary centralities of the region, home of the Holy Shroud and main access point to the Peninsula along the Via Francigena pilgrimage.
Accompanying the itinerary is a reflection on the theme of the pilgrim – the one who moves for material salvation, body and spirit – and the journey of the Saints of Charity, from St. Giovanni Bosco to St. Giuseppe Cafasso, from St. Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo to the Blesseds Piergiorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, with a series of encounters with the soul of the region through a visual exploration dedicated to its founding themes.
The exhibition is structured in four sections, each connected to a specific theme. The first presents sixteen original illustrations, created by young Italian artists which are now internationally acknowledged. A series of works that are inspired by the concepts of pilgrimage, spirituality, the Shroud, the paths, the Saints of Charity, but also by the essential morphological aspects of Piedmont and the relationship between man, nature and food. The second section houses a whole series of video materials specially made to illustrate the Via Francigena and the Shroud itineraries, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the landscapes of the places traversed. In the third section, a large interactive map highlights the paths of the “Via Francigena for all” project and the shroud paths illustrated in Sisto Giriodi’s book The Other Shrouds. The map is flanked by photographs of the dozens of shrouds frescoed on the exterior walls of buildings located along the Piedmont paths. These works are not widely known even by many of Piedmont’s locals, despite the fact that they constitute a singular case of popular devotion, a cycle of art spanning three centuries. Finally, in the fourth section, there is a depiction of the work conceived by Turin artist Carlo Gloria on the theme of the path, exhibited at the residence of the Italian Ambassador in Brussels.
The Exhibition
The exhibition develops the themes of pilgrimamge, the Via Francigena, and the Shroud-related itineraries with the support of:
- Sixteen young Italian illustrators, both men and women, internationally renowned: Massimiliano Aurelio, Giacomo Alvise Bettiol, Roberto ‘Hikimi’ Blefari, Davide Bonazzi, Andrea De Luca, Massimiliano Di Lauro, Giovanna Giuliano, Riccardo Guasco, Gabriele Pino, Sergio Ponchione, Jacopo ‘Jeugov’ Riva, Jacopo Rosati, Elisa Seitzinger, Elisa Talentino, Ilaria Urbinati, Cinzia Zenocchini.
- videos specially created to illustrate the Via Francigena and the Shroud routes, allowing visitors to have an immersive experience.
- Images from a research conducted by Sisto Giriodi on the traces left by centuries of pilgrimages to the Holy Shroud, which is conserved in Turin since 1578.
- The Piedmontese artist Carlo Gloria.
Multimedia installations and organizational coordination: ARCHILAND studio by Paolo Maldotti.
The Shroud routes
The gateway to Piedmont, to Turin, opens up to a rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and gastronomic specialties. In Turin, there is a precious asset that can be considered a beacon for those embarking on a religious journey: the Shroud.
Along the routes that connect France with Piedmont, where the Shroud has traveled over the centuries, sometimes secretly, and at times, it is said, deceptively to mislead ill-intentioned individuals, it has inspired artists. There are more than 600 iconographic testimonies that the International Iconographic Center for Shroud Studies is currently cataloging.
Among these, approximately 100 are “mural shrouds” in Piedmont, painted on the exterior walls of various buildings, including houses, palaces, and castles. But also mountain huts and farmhouses – they constitute an entirely Piedmontese chapter in the history of the Shroud and its public displays. It is little known even by many Piedmontese people, despite being a unique case of popular devotion and an art cycle spanning three centuries. (Sisto Giriodi, Le altre Sindoni)
They are Simple works, as often most important things are. Cataloged by Sisto Giriodi and displayed in the exhibition.
Under the patronage of:
