ITALO ZETTI

This small house-museum is inside an antique building called the ‘cappellania’. Its oldest part was erected in the late Middle-Ages. Mr. and Mrs. Zetti purchased it in the early 1970s and made it their country home. The renovation works took a long time to be completed as the intention was to preserve Italo’s memory, as well as the woodcuts, an ancient and noble art of engraving on wood (rarely practiced today), for future generations. Despite the renovations, the house retains its ancient aspect and decor and the varied furnishings give every room a unique and incomparable charm. In the ground floor rooms there are some photographs of the old Casore, pottery, copper furniture, household tools and other rustic objects of different origins and uses. On the first and second floors, we find an exhibition of typical, hand-crafted folk items, such as dolls, nativity figurines and even a well-preserved shaft from a farm in Romagna. Traditional crafts such as furniture, antique glass and porcelain objects, along with many contemporary artists’ works, such as the paintings by Italo’s brother, a large number of woodcuts, paintings, drawings, pottery and a hundred wooden matrices with the related engraving tools, are exhibited throughout the house. The museum presents an in-depth study of the artist’s activities as an engraver and his various xylographic techniques. Also worth a visit is the casa Severina next door, where an old print shop has been reconstructed and one can see a valuable collection of bookplates by Italo Zetti and other artists. Moreover, there is also a space set aside to host temporary exhibitions during the summer season. Finally, in the nearby Casa Pasqualina, you will find a typical chestnut dryer or ‘metato’, the only one left from the old Casore.