Holiday Apartment in Volpedo: Pellizza’s Art and Circular Trails

The Piazza Quarto Stato in Volpedo takes its name from the painting “Quarto Stato”; a lamppost marks the exact spot where Pellizza set up his easel. In Volpedo, museums and a walk through the streets meet trails through the hilly countryside. For planning purposes, your stay can therefore be divided between focused art experiences and outdoor activity.

Pellizza’s Museums and Working Environment

The Museo didattico houses a permanent public exhibition dedicated to depicting Pellizza’s human and artistic life. The Studio-Museum preserves the character of a 19th-century studio. It contains work tools, everyday objects, books, correspondence, photographs, and significant works by Pellizza. The two places offer different points of access to the study of the artist: here, his human and artistic life is the focus; there, the atmosphere of his working environment takes center stage. For those interested in culture, Pellizza’s life, his working environment, and his works are thus presented side by side in two different museum spaces.

Circular Trails Through Streets and Hills

The “Luoghi pellizziani” circular trail leads through the streets of Volpedo. Large-format reproductions of Pellizza’s works are set against the sections of landscape that inspired them. Each information panel is supported by a cast of the easel that Pellizza used for painting outdoors. The circular trail currently includes 18 stops.

The Sentiero della Montà di Bogino is a 5-km circular trail through the hills of Volpedo and includes eight reproductions of Pellizza’s works. The fixed length of 5 km gives the hill trail a clear framework for planning your day. Other circular trails, numbered 150, 152, 153, and 154, lead through the countryside and hills around Volpedo.

Palaces, Gardens, and a Mountain in the Wider Area

The area around Volpedo also offers further specific destinations. Palazzo Guidobono, Episcopal Palace, and Palazzo Gounela are palaces in the area around Volpedo. Castello Visconteo is a castle in the area around Volpedo. Giardini Piazza Castello, Giardini Sandro Pertini, and Giardini Piazza San Bovo are gardens in the area around Volpedo. Monte Giarolo is a mountain in the wider regional area around Volpedo. Historic buildings, gardens, and the mountain in the wider regional area complement Volpedo’s museums and circular trails as additional travel destinations.

Getting to Volpedo

Volpedo can be reached via the Tortona motorway exit on the A7 Milan–Genoa or the A21 Turin–Piacenza–Brescia. Then follow the brown tourist signs bearing the inscription “Volpedo. Musei di Pellizza”. For planning your day, your preferred focus may be the deciding factor: would you like to focus on the artistic stops and museums, or are you planning to spend more time in the hills and on the circular trails? This makes it possible to combine the journey with a day between Pellizza’s museums and the trails in the hills around Volpedo.

If you would like to compare other places for your travel plans in addition to Volpedo, also discover Alice Bel Colle, Serralunga Di Crea, Palazzina, Camagna Monferrato, Predosa, Pecetto, Pontestura and Tortona.

For the higher-level travel overview: Alessandria.