SixtyEight and RSS Press are pleased to offer residency in northern Italy, ideal for artists who work with nature and the environment, craft techniques and local knowledge.
About Casa Spizzirò
Agriturismo Spizzirò is a fully functioning agriturismo with bed & breakfast and restaurant facilities located in the hamlet Spizzirò, between the villages of Ponte Nizza and Varzi in the province of Pavia. It lies in hilly, picturesque terrain, surrounded by small-scale agriculture, including winemakers and cheesemakers, as well as farmers who produce the well-known salame di Varzi. In the nearby villages of Varzi and Bagnaria there is a local arts and crafts scene, including ceramicists and a glass-blower.
The area has a rural character, offering peace and quiet, yet is only 20 minutes drive by car from the next larger town, Voghera, from where there are regular train connections to Pavia (30 mins), Genoa (1 hour), Milan (1 hour) and Turin (2 hours). There is also a bus to Voghera several times a day.
The house offers a private room with en suite bathroom on the second floor, via a private entrance. There are in all four rooms, and the others may be let to guests. The rooms all have a view, either across the valley or onto the mountain behind. There is also a large plot of land, and in another building, a small industrial kitchen with two fridges, where meals can be cooked.
Residency
What: Residency at Casa Spizzirò
Where: Spizzirò, Bagnaria, Italy
When: 28 October – 10 November 2024 & 10 – 23 March 2025
For: artists, writers, academic researchers
Deadline: 4 October 2024
Reply: 10 October 2024
How: info(a)sixtyeight.dk
The peace and quiet of the area makes the residency ideal for writers and academic researchers who wish to have time and space to immerse themselves in their creative process or research. It is also ideal for artists who have, for example, a practice that engages with nature and the environment, craft techniques and local knowledge. The residency will include visits in the local area with craft practitioners such as ceramicists and organic beekeepers, as well as a talk about beekeeping by the owner of Casa Spizzirò, which, weather allowing, will be complemented by a visit to the beehives.
For the residency period in March 2025, visual artists who have an established connection to the Danish art scene will have the option of applying for funding via the Danish Arts Foundation’s pool for ‘Ophold på udenlandske residencies’, deadline 24 October 2024, deadlines in 2025 tba. As the 2025 deadlines for this funding opportunity could fall later than March, you may wish to apply for funding already on 24 October.
As part of this opportunity and eligibility for funding, we will be offering visual artists who apply for Arts Foundation funding a programme of artistic and curatorial visits in Turin, organised in collaboration with Turin-based curator Caterina Avataneo. This will include a meeting with the exhibition space and art organisation Cripta747, as well as studio visits, curator meetings and attendance of important events, which will be tailored to the successful applicant’s interests and wishes.
Price of Residency
2600 Kr / 350 EUR per week for 1 to 2 weeks, for one person, including use of the kitchen.
From 2025, visual artists will be able to apply to have this covered via the above mentioned funding pool.
If you will be sharing with another person, such as a partner or collaborator, 3200 Kr per week.
How to apply
Send us a 1-page motivational letter about your artistic practice, the reasons for your interest in the residency, and what you expect to gain from it. As well a maximum 2-page CV. You are welcome to include visual, audio or written material, maximum 5 pages or 5 minutes.
Please send the material to: info(a)sixtyeight.dk and indicate clearly that you are applying for the Residency, which period, and for 1 or 2 weeks.
Deadline: 4 October 2024
How to get here
In the interests of the environment, we recommend that you consider travelling by train instead of plane. Milan can be reached from Copenhagen by train, usually via Hamburg and Zürich. You can search for tickets on, for example, DSB, Trainline, or other platforms. Interrail also offers some economical ticket options, which allow you to plan your train journey as you wish.
By plane you can most easily fly to Milan Malpensa with SAS, EasyJet or Norwegian, and to Bergamo Orio al Serio with Ryanair. Please do consider the train though 🙂
From the airports there are regular bus shuttles to Milano Centrale railway station, and from Malpensa there is also a train to Milano Centrale.
There are regular train services from Milano Centrale to Pavia and Voghera. We will be happy to pick you up by car from either of these stations.