Fondazione Ricci – “la nuova Barga” – Liberty in Barga – barganews.com v 3.0

Fondazione Ricci – “la nuova Barga” – Liberty in Barga

“The new Barga: architecture and decorative arts between liberty and eclectic style (1900-1935)”

An exhibition about “the new Barga” –  the Liberty and eclectic styles and the beauty of architecture and decorations, testimony of those who had made their fortune abroad and brought home wealth, novelties and cultures

Based on an idea from the architect Cristiana Ricci, president of the Fondazione Ricci,  this  was the first census of  113 buildings in the style of the time.

Developed over the next 2 years by the group consisting of Cristiana Ricci with Dr. Sara Moscardini, Pier Giuliano Cecchi, respectively director and deputy director of the Historical Institute Lucchese section of Barga. Ivano Stefani who oversaw the research for the buildings in Fornaci, Leonardo Umberto Conti and the photographer Caterina Salvi.

They have amassed a huge quantity of data, archival and geographical research work. collections of photographic, oral testimonies and documentation of family histories.

 Liberty style (Italian: Stile Liberty) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1900 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as stile floreale, arte nuova, or stile moderno. It took its name from Arthur Lasenby Liberty and the store he founded in 1874 in London, Liberty Department Store, which specialized in importing ornaments, textiles and art objects from Japan and the Far East. Major Italian designers using the style included Carlo Bugatti, Raimondo D’Aronco, Eugenio Quarti, and Galileo Chini. The major event of the style was the 1902 Turin International Exposition, which featured by works of both Italian designers and other Art Nouveau designers from around Europe.

Liberty style was especially popular in large cities outside of Rome which were eager to establish a distinct cultural identity, particularly Milan, Palermo and Turin, the city where the first major exposition of the style in Italy was held.

Barga sees three phases of construction of new buildings, in liberty or eclectic style. The first is in the first decade of the twentieth century, when the new viability of the Piangrande involves the subdivision of a new area, which connects Barga to the railway being built further down the valley.. These new areas are in Art Nouveau style.

The second is the area of the Giardino, affected by new constructions between 1910 and 1920.

The earthquake in September 1920 did not cause enormous damage as in Garfagnana, however it did damage the historic center of Barga – Barga Vecchia.

The comune gave permission to build new houses in an adjacent area –  in 1924 the Cantèo area was finally identified, which is the third huge reservoir of these new buildings.

From 10 July (opening at 6pm) until 26 September 2021