“Enchanted Peaks”: An Exhibition Entirely Dedicated to the Mountains in the Olympic Year
From May 30th to September 13th, as part of the second edition of Itinerari condivisi nei Musei del Sistema Museale della provincia di Lecco (Shared Itineraries in the Museums of the Lecco Province Museum System), the exhibition “Enchanted Peaks” (Vette incantate) will take place. The event will be hosted at Villa Monastero in Varenna, at the Spazio d’Arte on via Plinio 6 in Bellano, and at the MUU (Museum of Milk and the History of Muggiasca) in Vendrogno. Created in connection with the 2026 Winter Olympics, this initiative offers a broad showcase dedicated to the mountains. It features works by artists who active in Lombardy during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, with a special focus on the mountaineer-painter Paolo Punzo (1906–1979), celebrating the 120th anniversary of his birth.
The exhibition set up at the Spazio d’Arte in Bellano is divided into three distinct sections:
The first section, titled “… Mountains rising from the water” (“… Monti sorgenti dall’acqua”), includes 22 works depicting the mountains of the Lecco area—the Grigne, Resegone, San Martino, Corni di Canzo, and Moregallo—as well as various views of the Valtellina and Engadin mountains, created by artists from Lecco and Lombardy active between the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The second and largest section is dedicated to the Bergamasque mountaineer-painter Paolo Punzo (1906–1979). On display are 40 of his paintings, created at high altitudes in Valtellina, all dedicated to the high snow-capped peaks for which he was a renowned specialist. His mountains were born from a passion for high summits, which he tackled roped together with fellow climbers, staying in mountain bivouacs to capture the authentic atmosphere of the Alpine landscape from life. Alongside Punzo’s paintings is an important series of around thirty small and medium-sized sculptures depicting mountain animals.
The third section presents 9 paintings and an installation by the skier-artist and ski instructor Jacopo Peccati. These works were specially created and dedicated to the theme of skiing and the mountains in relation to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
Located on Via Plinio, in the heart of Bellano’s historic center—just a short distance from the former Church of San Nicolao, near the Orrido gorge and other BAC exhibition venues—the new Spazio d’Arte is making its debut with this event. It is housed within an ancient 17th-century building whose original character has been preserved and enhanced thanks to its owners, Federica Acquistapace and Romano Modestino. After using the property for twenty-five years for their antiques business, they have cleverly restored it and opened it to the public as an exhibition space.
The works on display come from private collections, most notably the rich and high-quality collection of Paolo Micheli Gritti—a refined and knowledgeable collector who, along with his family, has built an extraordinary collection over the course of thirty years.
The initiative is patronized by CAI Lombardia and CAI Bellano, and is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog published by Correlazioni, sponsored by Kong SpA. The mountain-inspired furnishing items are provided by Antichi Ricordi.
The Municipality of Bellano welcomed this proposal with great interest and enthusiasm, as Mayor Antonio Rusconi highlights: “This initiative fits perfectly into our cultural programming, enriching our artistic offering with a beautiful and evocative new exhibition venue.”
Concurrently with this exhibition, Villa Monastero Museum in Varenna will display two views of the Lecco mountains by Vincenzo Bianchi, while the MUU Museum of Milk and the History of Muggiasca in Vendrogno will feature three works dedicated to the Valtellina mountains by Paolo Punzo.
All these initiatives are part of the project “ConoSCIamo. Storie di sci e montagna” (Knowing/Skiing: Stories of Ski and Mountains), supported by the Museum System of the Province of Lecco.
OPENING DAYS AND HOURS
Every day: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
