In June 2023, INSOLITA COMUNE was established in Nardò (Lecce), in the heart of Salento.
Located in the historic center, just a few meters from the main Piazza Salandra, Insolita Comune embraced a concept that is already in its name: to create an original space, a meeting place that hosts a community of arts and artists, cultural insights related to literature, music, sculpture, photography, design, with items for furnishings and fashion. The project is the brainchild of Alessandra Martino and Silvia Priore, aimed at creating a physical space for experimentation.
The experiment seems to have been successful, as we have reached our third solid season, and a bit by magic and a bit through the tireless effort of its unusual team, the Comune is a recognized reality in its beloved Salento context.
Let's talk about this year's novelties.
Insolita Rassegna returns with four events featuring authors and their literary works; the artistic direction is curated by writer Mirella Borgocroce. From July 10 to August 9, within the ethnic Salento terrace, SUSU. Here are the four dates:
- July 10: Tundra e Peive, Nottetempo 2023. A discussion with the author Francesca Matteoni presented by Francesca Venturi, journalist. For many years with Agi as a Brussels correspondent and Foreign Affairs editor. The event is part of the CIRCONAUTA Festival of Contemporary Circus program, of which Insolita has been a partner for two years. The author's presence and her work are inspired by the festival's 2025 theme, "Re-thinking the Planet." Insolita's “Susu” terrace becomes part of the Circonauta's distributed stage; the festival runs from July 4 to 13, traditionally held in Nardò's most iconic historic center locations.
- July 21: "La più bella di sempre" by Cosimo Buccarella, Corbaccio 2024. Presented by Maria Pia Carlucci, a literature and Latin teacher at Quinto Ennio High School in Gallipoli.
- July 28: "Popoff" by Graziano Gala, Minimum fax 2024. Introduced by Paola Martino, a gender policy expert.
- August 9: "Uri" by Alex Ezra Fornari, Funambolo 2025, presented by Emanuela Chiriacò, literary translator and director of imprint FLU.O.
ART - The artistic sensibility of SpazioArrivabene 2 finds its vacation home at Insolita Comune.
Insolita's "SUTTA" space hosts the Mantuan art gallery until the end of the summer season. The need for dialogue has allowed Spazio Arrivabene2 to settle in Nardò at the "Sutta" space to set up a small compendium of its exhibition narrative. Recent works by Alice Padovani, Almudena Pintado, Bahar Heidarzade, Roberto Ciroli, Massimo Levati, Francesco Levi, along with furnishing objects and ancient tribal artifacts, will be featured. The presentation of the "collective authorship" aims to activate multiple levels of reading in a kind of poetic inclusive leitmotif. On one hand, it highlights the inevitable uniqueness that characterizes each artistic endeavor; on the other, it suggests a meeting point among the various artists involved: the analysis of reality, the study of a technique, the delicate work of archiving and gathering testimonies. For more information, contact mob. 329-5912864 or visit www.spazioarrivabene2.it Instagram: spazioarrivabene2
DESIGN - SFREEDO: Inside via De Michele, exhibitions of crafts, fashion, small objects, and furnishings that have characterized Insolita Comune since its inception come to life. New seasonal entries include SFREEDO, a young team from the Marche that presents design solutions furnishing spaces while telling stories of innovation and responsibility. Furnishings are made with natural and refined materials like marble and terrazzo. A distinguishing feature is the company's philosophy which sees what traditional production discards as an opportunity. Nomen omen.
FASHION - "Un tè da matti" chose Insolita as a temporary store and from Piedmont, its stable base, artistic director Sara Battaglino brings to Salento her brand of bags and accessories, handmade and Made in Italy, born from the union between creative minimalism and a passion for vintage, between research and tradition. A collection that combines high-quality craftsmanship with the continuous search for original ideas, with an eco-sustainable perspective aimed at reducing any possible waste or surplus.
Returning this year are creators who are already partners of Insolita such as SEGGIA with its handwoven chairs, SUENDO HandMade with its marvelous knit or crochet creations that bring together three generations. The colors and fine materials of Creanto, the flexible bodies of Dario Tarantino, the magnificent papier-mâché frames of John-and-pepe-vintage, the all-white by Roberta Fracella, and the newborn, Madre in Italy, a new brand by Alessandra, with objects and textiles sourced from her travels around the world, selected following her unmistakable style, and added to a personal collection accessible to "Insolita’s People.”
The emotions experienced in Salento are well known to the many enthusiasts of this land, also due to its recent well-deserved tourist success. Nestled between the Ionian and Adriatic, rich in history and culture in all its facets, it is blessed by a nature of contrasts: sea, countryside, greens, yellows, blues, cities, towns, crowds, events... and silences and contemplation coexist in this finibus terrae, where one does not arrive by chance but because they choose to.
The spaces of Insolita Comune are completely aligned with the original context of Nardò’s historic center. This is a deliberate choice made out of passion for these atmospheres of lights, stones, and colors, and to purposely adhere to the philosophy of preserving the city from certain architectural or fashionable excesses that could, at times, risk undermining its cultural and landscape milieu.
More about…
INSOLITA COMUNE: LIVING THREE LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE
Three distinct spaces in terms of setup, location, and use to enrich the experience that visitors have inside Insolita.
Insolita Comune is a project born from collaboration, with its own style boundaries, boundaries meant as traversable areas for those who wish to enrich themselves through the beauty of the place and the opportunities for space and contact it offers. QuattordiciA Comunicazione s.r.l., the company founded by Silvia and Alessandra in Bologna, manages the space and offers related services like press office, events, communication, and marketing.
The spaces are structured on three levels: the showcases of via De Michele 9 that lead into the world of Insolita, the raised floor with two large rooms hosting temporary and permanent exhibitions of artists alongside creators of clay, crafted fabric items, cushions, seats, bags, and hats, small objects, and accessories strictly vintage and in harmony with the style of Insolita.
Sutta, with access from via De Michele 11, a few steps down to reach the urban-style space designated as an exhibition space and workshop. With its ancient vaulted ceilings, it has been left intact in its laboratory vocation, with a vintage metropolitan style. In the 1970s, it was used as a music rehearsal room, it is said that Rita Pavone and Edoardo Vianello passed through here. Currently used as an exhibition space.
Susu, the terrace on the first floor with an independent entrance and a classic Neretine view: roofs, ancient buildings, and a glimpse of the main Piazza Salandra.
It has a magical atmosphere that is quintessentially Salento, hosting private and public events like Insolita Rassegna.
"SUTTASUSU," the names of the workshop and terrace, are an homage to the town and its language, the Neretine dialect, reimagined by creative director Alex Ezra Fornari; he is credited with the name and logo of INSOLITA COMUNE, characterized by the letters I and C integrated into a typical local cement tile and the constant attention to Insolita’s image.
Alessandra is originally from Lecce, with a degree in DAMS in cinema and theater. She loves music, having also lived it firsthand as a drummer, professionally involved in advertising graphics, mostly in the tourism sector, an organizer with relational, communication, and creative skills. Silvia, Apulo-Emilian, has Puglian roots between Bari and Taranto, a lifetime in Emilia Romagna, has been working with Alessandra for 20 years in many aspects of communication, training, and coaching. Their business is based in Bologna and Nardò.
Insolita Comune
Via De Michele 9, Nardò – Salento
Press office Quattordicia Comunicazione srl quattordiciacomunicazione.it
Artistic Direction Alex Ezra Fornari: Instagram Fornarigraphicdesign
Via Dotti 14/a-Bologna- Via De Michele 9-Nardò info@quattordicia.it
Instagram: insolita_comune
Phone 331 2653646
Alessandra Martino & Silvia Priore
Web:
www.quattordicia.it
Nardò
Art & photography
Cultural
3312653646
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