Who would imagine that there was a link between Tuscan Pinocchio and Piedmont? And yet our Piedmont never ceases to amaze us…
20 kilometers from Cuneo, nestled in the mountains, stands the enchanting village of Vernante. This small town is famous for its landscape and numerous sports activities that can be undertaken there in every season, as well as the countless murals dedicated to the most famous child puppet of all time.
How Pinocchio landed in Vernante is certainly a beautiful story. In Vernante, after losing his wife and only son, the great illustrator Attilio Mussino, also famous for illustrating the first color edition of Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio spent the last years of his life. Here Mussino rediscovered the desire to paint and serenity, to the point of opening a free school in his studio for those who wanted to learn to draw and paint.
Upon his death, his partner Margherita, originally from Vernante, donated all the artist's works and sketches to the town. Thus arose a museum in his honor, which, among other things, preserves important artifacts such as the 1911 illustrated edition of Pinocchio, a book with animated pages published in 1942, and the drafts of the postage stamp dedicated to the puppet.
To pay homage to Mussino, the two Vernantesi Bartolomeo Cavallera and Bruno Carletto, nicknamed "the Cat and the Fox", decided to bring the scenes of the novel back to life on the walls of the village, following the tradition of the frescoed houses of Bavaria.
The murals, which embellish the streets and squares of Vernante, reproduce the images of the edition of Pinocchio drawn by Attilio Mussino for Florence’s publishing house Bemporad. Over thirty years, the murals have grown in number and today there are more than one hundred and sixty, truly making the town Pinocchio's second home.
Attilio Mussino himself is buried in the village cemetery and his tombstone bears the image of Pinocchio grieving the loss of his second father.
For more information on Vernante and the museum dedicated to Attilio Mussino contact the Proloco association at: https://www.provernante.it/
Other articles related to Turin and Piedmont:
- Turin’s Museum of Chocolate is finally open
- In Turin, a breaded cutlet is called grissinopoli
- Fritz the elephant and Turin’s Museum of Natural Sciences
- A good reason to come to Turin in 2024? Celebrate Guarino Guarini’s 400th anniversary and discover his masterpieces
- Ruchè from Castagnole Monferrato and the beautiful village of Montemagno
- The Castle of Pralormo and the Messer Tulipano event
Information about our school of Italian language in Turin:
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Turin
The welcoming friendly atmosphere of our school will make you feel at home and you can relax with your classmates in the small gardens of the adjacent pedestrian area.
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