“Enchanted Peaks”: an exhibition entirely dedicated to the mountains in the year of the Olympics
As part of the second edition of ‘Itinerari condivisi’ (Shared Itineraries) in the museums of the Lecco Provincial Museum Network, the exhibition ‘Enchanted Peaks’ will take place at Villa Monastero in Varenna, at the Spazio d’Arte in Via Plinio 6, Bellano, and at the Muu Museum of Milk and the History of Muggiasca in Vendrogno. The initiative has been organised in connection with the 2026 Winter Olympics and offers a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the mountains, featuring works by artists who were active in Lombardy during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, with a special focus on the mountaineer and painter Paolo Punzo (1906–1979), whose 120th birthday is being celebrated.
The exhibition on display at the Spazio d’Arte in Bellano is divided into three different sections. The first, entitled “… Mountains Rising from the Water”, comprises 22 works depicting the mountains of the Lecco area – the Grigne, the Resegone, San Martino, the Corni di Canzo and the Moregallo – as well as various images of the mountains of Valtellina and the Engadine, created by artists from Lecco and Lombardy active between the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The second and most extensive section is dedicated to the Bergamo-born painter and mountaineer Paolo Punzo (1906–1979), featuring 40 paintings created at high altitude in Valtellina, all devoted to the snow-capped peaks of which he was recognised as a leading specialist. His mountain paintings stem from a passion for the high peaks, which he tackled as part of a climbing party, stopping at mountain huts to capture the atmosphere of the alpine landscape from life. Punzo’s works are accompanied by an important series of small and medium-sized sculptures – some thirty pieces – depicting animals associated with the mountains.
The third section features nine paintings by the artist, skier and ski instructor Jacopo Peccati, along with an installation – works created specifically for this exhibition and dedicated to the theme of skiing and the mountains in connection with the Milan/Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Located on Via Plinio, in the heart of Bellano’s historic centre, a short distance from the former Church of San Nicolao, near the Orrido and the other BAC exhibition venues, the new Spazio d’Arte – which opens with this event – is housed within a historic 17th-century building, whose appearance has been preserved and enhanced thanks to the owners, Federica Acquistapace and Romano Modestino, who, after using the building for twenty-five years for their antiques business, have, through skilful restoration work, made it available to the public as an exhibition venue. The works on display come from private collections, amongst which the collection of Paolo Micheli Gritti stands out for its quality and richness. He is a refined and knowledgeable collector who, together with his family, has built up an extraordinary collection over the course of thirty years.
The initiative is sponsored by CAI Lombardia and CAI Bellano and is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue published by Correlazioni, with Kong SpA as its sponsor.
The pieces of furniture, inspired by the theme of the mountains, are by Antichi Ricordi.
The Municipality of Bellano has welcomed this proposal with interest and enthusiasm, as Mayor Antonio Rusconi emphasises: “The initiative fits perfectly into our cultural programme, enriching our artistic offering with a new and evocative exhibition venue”.
Alongside this exhibition, the Villa Monastero Museum in Varenna is displaying two views of the Lecco mountains by Vincenzo Bianchi, whilst the MUU Museum of Milk and the History of Muggiasca in Vendrogno is exhibiting three works by Paolo Punzo dedicated to the Valtellina mountains.
All these initiatives form part of the “ConoSCIamo. Stories of Skiing and the Mountains” project, supported by the Museum Network of the Province of Lecco.
