2025 Edition Symposium – registrations open!

Talking about witchcraft makes us dive into fascinating, often dramatic stories that take us back in time, to times of poverty, conflict and superstition.

In 1611 Coredo became the center of the Inquisition when, in the then Assessorile Palace, a long trial took place which led to the condemnation of 8 women and 2 men to the stake for witchcraft. Another 19 people received, so to speak, lesser sentences. The accusations were of heresy, renunciation of the Catholic faith, murder, infanticide, cannibalism, damage to people, livestock and crops, close relationships with the devil, in short, a bit of everything.

In the period between the end of the fifteenth century and the mid-seventeenth century, suddenly becoming a witch was quite simple, particularly for a woman.

Usually the “witches” were identified in the poorer classes, they were widows, often midwives, healers or perhaps prostitutes. If they had red hair, or a mole on their iris, if they had a strong and proud character (otherwise called rebellious) and perhaps owned a black cat, then it was done.

The theme of this edition, obviously, does not want the artist to have to dwell or delve into the narrative of the inquisition or the torture associated with it with his work. The sculptor is instead left free to give a personal, more intriguing, even entertaining reading of the mysteries and fantasies that in the collective imagination are associated with witches, sorcerers, wizards and potions.

Sunday 3 August will therefore see the opening of the seventh edition of the sculpture symposium “Predaia Arte e Natura”, followed again this year by the artistic director Gianni Mascotti of the Marte studio.