In the heart of Grazie di Curtatone, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, art comes to life, becomes hope and becomes a bridge between heaven and earth. Grazie is not just a place, it is a dream that every year welcomes anyone who is ready to live a unique experience, capable of touching the soul. Here, in the Borgo dei Madonnari, Madonnara art tells stories of faith, beauty and resilience. It is a tradition that has its roots in the past but that today looks to the future, with a universal message that goes beyond local borders, involving the entire world.
Grazie is not just a point on the map: it is a place where culture becomes a community, where every citizen, every visitor, every child can feel part of a story that is renewed from year to year. The project that enhances the Sanctuary of Madonna of the Blessed Virgin of Grazie and the Madonnara art is an act of love for our territory, a gesture that does not stop only at a celebration of the past, but becomes a living resource for everyone. The 12 works, 12 votive works that adorn the Open Sky Museum, are a symbol of hope: an appeal to the Heavenly Mother to help not only Grazie, but the entire world, to overcome the difficulties we are experiencing. It is an invitation to look to the future with eyes full of confidence.
Every corner of the village tells a story. Since 1973, the year in which the first Madonnari competition was founded, Grazie has become the beating heart of this unique art, which has gone around the world. This is where the promotions from simple Madonnari to Maestri Madonnari take place, a journey that is rooted in tradition and that leads young people to become protagonists of an international cultural scene. But Grazie is not just a traditional museum, it's an open-air museum: 60 works hanging on the houses and walls of the village, transform every corner into a masterpiece visible all year round, making Grazie a magical place that offers timeless emotions.
This is the village of the Madonnari, a heritage that goes beyond the walls of the sanctuary, which extends into the streets, squares, and the hearts of the people who live and breathe this art every day. It is a project that gives value to every citizen, which makes Grazie a place where art is part of daily life, where everyone can feel the protagonist of a story that unites everyone, without distinction. Grazie di Curtatone is a place that grows with those who live there, that feeds on everyone's stories and dreams.
Come and discover Grazie, the Borgo dei Madonnari, and let art speak to you in its depths. A place where the past, the present and the future meet in an embrace that only a special place like this can offer.
Carlo Bottani, Mayor of the City of Curtatone and President of the Province of Mantua, tells us about the Borgo dei Madonnari: