Blessed with artistic talent and fancy spending a month immersed in the beauty of Italy – all expenses paid? You’re in luck. A quaint town in western Sicily is offering two lucky artists luxury accommodation, free food and spending money to fulfill all their creative desires.
Yes, you read that right. The town in question is Sambuca Di Sicilia, which might already be on your radar as one of Sicily’s many towns that are auctioning off homes for €1. The town is now opening its arms to applications from all kinds of artists.
The lucky winners will live it up as neighbours in two gorgeous residences, complete with a kitchen, office, living room and balcony overlooking the stunning lake and ancient Arab fortress. A £1,700 (€2,000, $2150) fee will be paid to each artist, plus a £1,000 (€1,200, $1265) budget to spend on materials. That’s on top of the free food and guidance from local staff.
In exchange for the free month-long stay, Mayor Giuseppe Cacioppo explains that the artists must use the time to create a piece of work to donate to the town.
But with a setting so stunning and a town so steeped in history, that doesn’t sound too difficult. Founded as far back as 830 AD, the town is nicknamed ‘Sicily’s Barn’ for its history of grain production, and old millstones still churn out pasta and bread to this day. With its majestic architecture and mountainous surroundings, it sounds like there’s plenty to inspire.
‘This is an open call for all sorts of artists,’ the Mayor said to the i newspaper. ‘They can create whatever inspires them, as long as it’s then installed in the alleys as part of the urban landscape, or in our town museum.’
Ideally, street installations, paintings and sculptures would be the best fit for Sambuca, as the Mayor is after artwork to ‘embellish’ the town – but other art forms, such as performance or poetry, would also be welcomed.
Sound like the ideal way to spend your October? Submit your application form, CV and artist portfolio by September 11.
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