"In Cento everywhere you can breathe in Guercino."
In 1816, during his Grand Tour of Italy, the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote these words, capturing the essence of the deep and intimate bond between the Emilian town of Cento and one of its most illustrious sons: Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as the Guercino, a Baroque painter born here in 1591 into a family of humble origins.
To fully understand his art, it is essential to explore this picturesque town in the province of Ferrara. From here you can embark on an immersive journey into the environment that forged his artistic path, following an itinerary that reveals the places pervaded by his presence and influence.
A guiding thread runs through the streets and countryside of Cento, tracking a deep connection with the memory of Guercino. In Cento, everything seems to evoke the great master: from the square named after him, where the Town Hall (Palazzo del Governatore) and the statue of Stefano Galletti stand, to the late medieval Rocca and the house of painter Benedetto Gennari, where Guercino took his first steps in art.[Download Map!]
Every corner of the city tells a fragment of the life of this extraordinary artist. His presence is tangible in memorial plaques, palaces and churches, where his works embellish interiors with timeless beauty. Guercino's name is revered here: then as now, his figure - genius loci - is celebrated with events and manifestations.
There is no museum venue in the world with such a concentration of artistic works referable to Guercino as the Civica Pinacoteca il Guercino in Cento.
Reopened after eleven years of forced closure following the earthquake that struck Emilia in 2012, the Pinacoteca holds an artistic heritage of inestimable value. It includes 120 works, including paintings and sculptures, 46 drawings and as many as 20 frescoes created by Guercino himself, alongside works by artists contemporary to him such as Scarsellino, Guido Reni, Ludovico Carracci and Matteo Loves.
Another place of great interest is the Pinacoteca Civica San Lorenzo, housed in the former Church of San Lorenzo, now deconsecrated and owned by the Heritage Studies Foundation. Since 2015, this space has served as an exhibition venue and houses numerous works, some of considerable artistic significance.
Outstanding among the masterpieces preserved are the paintings made by Guercino for the Church of the Most Holy Rosary in Cento, a place of worship particularly dear to him, to which he contributed not only artistically but also economically, financing the construction and pictorial decoration, particularly of the family chapel.
Walking around Cento and through the surrounding countryside, one can recognize the landscapes that Guercino chose as the background for many of his paintings. These places, experienced firsthand by the Emilian painter, inevitably ended up influencing his artistic imagination.
Among the destinations on this itinerary is the Rocca (fortress) of Cento. From this privileged vantage point, Guercino surely drew inspiration, observing the reality around him made up of clouded skies, expanses of wheat, the waters of the Reno River and the profiles of the bell towers that dotted the horizon.
DISCOVERING GUERCINO. DOWNLOAD THE MAP!
An itinerary through Guercino's Baroque art, among art cities, churches and palaces, museums and private collections
- Civica Pinacoteca il Guercino (Cento, FE): www.civicapinacotecailguercino.it
- In the Footsteps of Guercino. Download the Map!
