I luoghi dell’anima

"I luoghi dell'anima" (the places of the soul) is a scattered museum in Pennabilli: a collection of open-air sites, permanent art installations born from the genius of Tonino Guerra, the Romagna-born poet and screenwriter known worldwide for his art. Works by Tonino Guerra are also held in the basement of a 14th-century oratory, in the museum "Il mondo di Tonino".

Tonino Guerra's places of the soul

• The Orchard of Forgotten Fruits - a garden planted with fruit trees typical of, and native to, the local countryside. Alongside the fruit trees are the Snail Gate, the Sundial of the Encounter, the Arch of Fables, the Calendar of Words and much more. The Orchard of Forgotten Fruits is found in the Convento dei frati missionari, where the Dalai Lama planted the Mulberry Tree of Peace.
• The Refuge of Abandoned Madonnas - a collection of votive shrines with sacred images that used to be placed at country crossroads. There are around seventy examples in terracotta.
• The Street of Sundials - seven sundials, set on the buildings of the historic centre of Pennabilli, show the different ways time has been conceived over the centuries.
• The Angel with a Moustache - found in the Chiesetta dei Caduti, a painting inspired by a poem by Tonino Guerra, created by Luigi Poiaghi. Birdsong can always be heard in the little church.
• The Sanctuary of Thoughts - found at the Guasto Malatestiano: an old house and seven abstract totemic statues that can be admired from a bench, in complete solitude.
• The Petrified Garden (hamlet of Molino di Bascio) - 7 stone carpets set at the foot of an ancient tower, depicting historical figures who came into contact with the tower, from Ezra Pound to Dante.
• The Madonna of the Rectangle of Snow (hamlet of Ca' Romano) - a church in the middle of the woods, housing a ceramic work of art. The church's name comes from a story from 1754, when in the month of August snow fell on a small patch of ground, a sign that the Madonna was showing the people where to build her church.

Photo credits - Archivio fotografico dell'Assessorato al Turismo della Provincia di Rimini