Labirinto della Masone, Art museum in Fontanellato, Italy
Labirinto della Masone is an art museum and botanical garden in Fontanellato featuring towering bamboo walls arranged in a large maze pattern. At its core stands a pyramid-shaped chapel with exhibition halls surrounding it to showcase art from different periods.
The project grew from conversations between collector Franco Maria Ricci and Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges who shared a fascination with mazes. When opened in 2015, it realized their shared vision in a new cultural space in the Emilia-Romagna region.
The name Masone refers to Ricci's estate, not to a family. The bamboo comes from a passion Ricci developed in the 1980s, and he planted more than 200,000 canes of about twenty species, from dwarf varieties to giants such as Phyllostachys viridis 'Sulfurea', which reaches 18 metres. The pyramid-shaped chapel at the centre can be used for wedding ceremonies.
The site is wheelchair accessible and open on most days of the week. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and bring water during warm weather, as much of the walk takes place outdoors along open paths.
The maze's plan follows Roman labyrinth mosaics, one kept in the Bardo Museum in Tunis, the other in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum, with forks and dead ends added to the Roman scheme. Its eight-pointed perimeter recalls fortified ideal cities such as Palmanova and Sabbioneta. Anyone lost can call an emergency number and be escorted out.
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