SaturnArs, the first food and wine Biennial of the Arts around the Via Claudia Augusta, will start from 14 October 2022 in Rovere ‘della Luna / Eichholz thanks to the cultural association Kunst Grenzen-Arte di frontiera aps.
The SaturnArs project brings back the theme of the ancient Via Claudia Augusta, a Roman road begun in 15 BC. by General Drusus, adopted son of Emperor Augustus, to facilitate the military movement from today’s Po Valley to the Rhaetian territories of present-day western Tyrol and southern Germany.
Once the conquest of the territories was completed, the road was finished in 47 AD. by the emperor Claudius, who gave it its name, reaching a length of 350 Roman miles or approximately 518 km.
Currently, the ancient Roman paths have been preserved more in Germany and Austria, while they have deteriorated in the South Tyrolean and Atesino territory due to intensive agricultural exploitation. The route that leads from the ancient Tridentum (Trento, Italy) to Veneto is even more uncertain, as the only preserved finds, the milestones, suggest that there were two routes: one connected Hostilia (Ostiglia) to Bononia (Bologna) and the other Altinum (Altino) by ferries on the river Po.
Among the significant milestones are indicated first of all those of Rablà (Venosta Valley, near Merano and Lagundo) whose faithful full-scale reconstruction is currently at the headquarters of the Cultural Association Kunst Grenzen – Frontier Art, and Cesiomaggiore (near Feltre ), because they show the name of the street and indicate the two different starting points: the milestone of Rablà indicates that the Via Claudia Augusta went from the Po to the Danube, while that of Cesiomaggiore recalls the route from Altino to the Danube:
«Ti[berius] Claudius Caesar Augustus German[icus] Pont[ifex] max[imus] trib[unicia] pot[estate] VI con[n]s[ul] desig[natus] III imp[erator] XI p[ater] p[atrie] [vi]am Claudiam Augustam quam Drusus pater Alpibus bello patefactis derexserat munit a flumine Pado at [f]lumen Danuvium per [milia] p[assuum] CC[CL]» (Testo sulla pietra miliare di Rablà)
“Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, pontiff maximum, awarded the tribunicia potestas for the sixth time, consul designated for the fourth, emperor for the eleventh, father of the homeland, the via Claudia Augusta, that his father Drusus, opened the Alps with the war, he had traced, armed from the Po river to the Danube river for 350 miles. ”
«Ti[berius] Claudius Drusi f[ilius] Caesar Augustus Germa nicus pontifex maxu mus tribunicia potesta te VI co[n]s[ul] IV imp[erator] XI p[ater] p[atrie] censor viam Claudiam Augustam quam Drusus pater Alpibus bello pate factis derex[e]rat munit ab Altino usque ad flumen Danuvium m[ilia] p[assuum] CCCL» (Testo sulla pietra miliare di Cesiomaggiore)
“Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, son of Drusus, pontiff maximum, awarded the tribunicia potestas for the sixth time, consul for the fourth, emperor for the eleventh, father of the homeland, censor, the via Claudia Augusta, that his father Drusus, opened the Alps with the war, he had traced, armed from Altino to the Danube river for 350 miles. “
While in Endidae (Egna / Neumarkt) a rest station is documented that gives the direction to the intermediate station of Pons Drusi attested in the Tabula Peutingeriana of Bolzano towards Merano, Val Venosta, Passo di Resia, Landeck, Fernpass, Reutte, Frűssen and Augusta Vindelicum (Augsburg).
In the photo: reconstruction of the Rablà milestone. Currently in Kunst Grenzen in Rovere’della Luna.
Along the Via Claudia Augusta there are remains of more or less preserved Roman settlements, including the sites of Castel Tesino, Montesei di Serso, Civezzano and Calceranica, in Levico in 1858 the only sarcophagus in the valley of the middle and late imperial age was found next to other graves in cement work, stones and tiles, in Avio two epigraphs and three fragments of milestones, in Ala the milestone found in 1803 in the block of the altar of the church of S. Pietro in Bosco, in the center of the town of Isera, near Rovereto, the remains of a large “urban-rustic” Roman villa are visible, which is unique in the Trentino area.
The two sections of the Via Claudia Augusta rejoin in Tridentum (Trento, Italy) where the sites can still be visited: the Sas Underground Archaeological Space in Cesare Battisti Place, the archaeological area of Lodron Palace, the Porta Veronensis and the early Christian Basilica. In Piana Rotaliana many remains of Roman tombs and coins covering the arch temporal from Augustus to Valentinian as well as an altar dedicated to the god Saturn, divinity of sowing and vine, found in 1859 under the current Church of Santa Caterina; in Mezzocorona the remains of a rustic villa in the locality of Drei-Cané (in the old headquarters of the winery) and of a village with a necropolis in the locality of Giontec, built on the sides of a secondary road, which headed towards the Non Valley.
Between 1993 and 1995 the remains of the late Roman age were brought to light in the Giontec site, located between the hill of San Michele and Monte di Mezzocorona for a total of 4 thousand square meters dating back to between the 1st and 6th centuries AD. but the economic impossibility of preserving the remains in situ led to the decision to build a simulation of an ancient Roman rural building in the Piana Rotaliana in “memory” of the ancient town. The artist Gentile Polo personally participated in the realization project, at that time owner of the company “Pitture e Decori di Polo Gentile & C. SNC”, recognized for his professionalism and technical – artistic ability with the coveted “Spatola silver”.
Despite the original intentions of the then architect Bruno Pedri at the head of the project, the archaeological site of Giontec did not continue the initial idea of a museum and has now been open for years only outdoors, as it is rented to private businesses.
In November 2005 the results of the initial project “Via Claudia Augusta”, supported by the EU in the Interreg IIIB – Alpine Space program and by the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, the Veneto Region, Feltre, Ostiglia were presented to the Cantina Rotari in Mezzocorona. , the Austrian MIAR Association and the German Association Via Claudia Augusta Bavarie, in front of the then Provincial Councilor Gianluca Salvatori, the Mayor Mauro Fiemozzi, Luca Santarossa for the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and Anuška Štoka from the Joint Technical Secretariat of Rosenheim (Germany). Despite the planned program of promotion of the entire territory concerned with common interventions at the level of archeology, culture, tourism, brand and economic activities, as for the Giontec also the initial project “Via Claudia Augusta” has been fragmented along the entire historical path in small local events.
In the photo: reconstruction of the altar dedicated to the god Saturn found in Rovere ‘della Luna.
With the creation of the nucleus of the Cultural Association Kunst Grenzen – Arte di frontiera aps together with his colleague Claudio Cavalieri, Sandro Ramani, Renata di Palma, Alberto Sighele, Angelo Magro, Paolo Ober, Sarah Mutinelli, to the researcher Dott. Ing. Damiano Martorelli Ph .D. And to the Assistant in Graphics and Web – Marketing Lucia Martorelli, to the artist and President Gentile Polo, the spring comes to renew with enthusiasm and vigor a project around the Via Claudia Augusta with the aim of gradually bringing together the various cultural realities : therefore the first food and wine biennial of the Arts was born around the Via Claudia Augusta, SaturnArs.
He immediately rolled up his sleeves and, map in hand, he tracked down and personally contacted the Pro Loco along the entire Roman route; subsequently you have tracked down the artists still in work who participated in the first edition and still encountered a great deal of interest.
This first phase was followed by the involvement of the researcher Dr. Ing. Damiano Martorelli Ph.D. who will hold a conference on Saturday 15 October On the trail of the Via Claudia Augusta – a modern Roman road.
This first phase was followed by the involvement of the researcher Dr. Ing. Damiano Martorelli Ph.D. who will hold a conference on Saturday 15 October On the trail of the Via Claudia Augusta – a modern Roman road at the conference room of the Social winery of Rovere ‘della Luna.
In the photo: Ing. Damiano Martorelli Ph.D.
For the third phase, due to the ancient wine-growing culture of the Piana Rotaliana, amply testified also by the archaeological finds of the remains of Roman barrels and by the altar dedicated to the god Saturn, divinity of sowing and wine, involved the producing cellars to advertise their best wines during the “SaturArs: Biennial Food and Wine of the Arts around the Via Claudia Augusta” event. Each of the participating wines was assigned an artist who created his own label in order to attribute an added value to the value of the product on display.
During the “SaturnArs” event, wines and labels will be evaluated by a Sommelier and a jury made up of artists and the audience in the room and the best combinations will be awarded with a work of art decided by the commission.
The occasion will be tempting to open the doors and bring together the management of the wineries with Italian and foreign artists and the general public in a form of VinItaly but in an artistic edition and in Trentino, where wine writes the history of our territory, specifically, reaching the productive heart of the Piana Rotaliana with Rovere ‘della Luna / Eichholz, thanks to the cultural association Kunst Grenzen – Arte di frontiera aps and its indestructible President Gentile Polo.
Currently, despite being an absolute first edition, there are already fifteen wineries participating in the “SaturnArs” project: Endrizzi Elio and F.lli, Dorigati, Betta Luigino farm, Zeni Giorgio, Rotaliana – Cantina in Mezzolombardo, Serpaia di Endrizzi, Villa de Varda, Laste Rosse, Rovere ‘della Luna social winery, Gaierhof, De Vescovi Ulzbach, Martinelli, Marco Donati, Cantina Val d’Adige, Salurnis.
For the entire duration of the event “SaturArs: biennial food and wine of the Arts around the Via Claudia Augusta”, ie from 14 to 29 October, themed works by Italian and international artists will be on display at the private room Kunst Grenzen-Arte di frontiera di Rovere ‘ della Luna.
In the picture: the actor from Trentino Alfonso Masi.
On the occasion of the Finissage, Saturday 29 October from 7.00 pm, the Trentino actor Alfonso Masi will delight the audience with the comedy “Il crapulone”, a tragicomic monologue on the theme of diets.
Admission to the Kunst Grenzen Biennale will be free and free to facilitate the general public to rediscover the area and its historical, artistic and gastronomic value.
The event “SaturArs: biennial food and wine of the arts around the Via Claudia Augusta” is conceived, organized and curated by the cultural association Kunst Grenzen-Arte di frontiera aps and by the President Gentile Polo, in collaboration with the Municipality and Pro Loco di Rovere ‘of Luna in the figure of President Marco Gruber, CR di Rovere ‘della Luna, the member wineries: Endrizzi Elio and F.lli, Dorigati, Betta Luigino farm, Zeni Giorgio, Rotaliana – Cantina in Mezzolombardo, Serpaia di Endrizzi, Villa de Varda , Laste Rosse, Rovere ‘della Luna social winery, Gaierhof, De Vescovi Ulzbach, Martinelli, Marco Donati, Cantina Val d’Adige, Salurnis.
We are therefore waiting for you from 14 to 29 October 2022 at the Kunst Grenzen gallery – Frontier Art (Trento, Italy – Rovere ‘della Luna, Via Villotta 7 / a).
We remind you that the Kunst Grenzen private room has no architectural barriers and is also accessible to people with mobility difficulties.
For more information:
e-mail: kunstgrenzen20artedifrontiera@gmail.com
Phone: +39 335 607 9154 GENTILE POLO.
(Art. Lucia Martorelli)