Palazzo Ducale presents a tribute to Italo Calvino, as part of the cultural initiatives of Genoa, Italian Capital of the Book 2023 and of the celebrations for the centenary of his birth, coordinated by the Committee established for the occasion by the Ministry for Culture and chaired by Giovanna Calvino.

We begin with the creations of Antonio Rubino from Sanremo, known in childhood and then republished in Einaudi Ragazzi, and then move on to the long-term collaboration with Emanuele Luzzati, investigated through the illustrations of the Genoese master for Calvin's works but also in the RAI productions to which Luzzati collaborated together with the costume designer Santuzza Calì. From the magical world of the Tarot, born in Finale Ligure, we move - faithfully following the author's writings dedicated to iconographic representation - to the visions of his land, as presented by his countrymen painters and by artists such as Francesco Menzio and Enrico Paulucci, to whom he was linked by a friendship.

Alongside the map of the many artists Calvino wrote about, all linked to the fantastic - from Enrico Baj to Lucio Del Pezzo, from Domenico Gnoli to Luigi Serafini - the exhibition combines a journey on the fairy tale expressed in its relationships with music, television and theater. This last side is analyzed through the productions signed together with Toti Scialoja and Donatella Ziliotto (then revisited in a contemporary key by the composer John Dove and by Sue Blane, set designer of the Rocky Horror Picture Show) and his compatriot Luciano Berio, but also in the works for theater and television of an artist particularly dear to Calvino, Giulio Paolini.

The scenographic route, which makes the tree the central element, is conceived by Emanuele Conte and Paolo Bonfiglio, and created by the Luzzati Teatro della Tosse Foundation. Introduced by a set of painted trees and objects of memory, it develops as an ideal route that descends from the woods of the hills towards the sea, passing through the stone villages of the hinterland, in a tribute to Liguria. The director of the stage design is Andrea Morini.

Together with the exhibition, a rich calendar of in-depth initiatives is planned, ranging from meetings and conferences to explore the multiple dimensions of the exhibition to lecture-shows with interventions by actors and scholars of the writer's work.

In parallel with the exhibition in the Loggia degli Abati, Casa Luzzati offers an in-depth look at the Master's work for Calvino with over 100 original works. Divided into two sections, the visitor will be able to admire, among other things, the entire collection of materials from the Cetra Quartet, the album covers of Calvino's fairy tales, the original illustrations, the interviews, the sets for the theater, the opera of nursery rhymes, for the Baron in the Trees of Rai 1 in Turin. The common denominator that emerges is the spirit of lightness and the love of the two protagonists of 20th century culture for the land of Liguria, a land of knowledge and flavors, as well as majestic and harsh landscapes. The exhibition is part of the “Luzzati for Calvino” project that the Lele Luzzati Foundation created for this prestigious event. Thanks to this project - curated by Sergio Noberini and Lele Luzzati Foundation - important works by Luzzati are exhibited in the exhibitions of the Scuderie del Quirinale and the Loggia degli Abati, which therefore see the active participation of the Foundation dedicated to the Maestro. Casa Luzzati also designs and offers a cycle of workshops based on Luzzati's drawings inspired by his fairy tales.