Tenute Ballasanti inaugurates its permanent artistic park.

Etna becomes a meeting place for contemporary art, nature, and viticulture. With the official inauguration of the "Ballasanti: Della Terra e Dell'Arte" Art Park , the Giarre (Catania) winery opens to the public a permanent cultural project that transforms the landscape into a sprawling exhibition space, where works interact with the vineyards, the lava rock, and the power of the volcano.

The project was born from an idea by Gaia Morgana Gualandris , who made it the subject of her thesis. Her parents, Manuela Seminara and Fabio Gualandris, supported her, entrusting her with artistic direction along with art historian Francesca Alfano Miglietti (FAM). The park represents a new milestone in Tenute Ballasanti's journey, which combines winemaking with a cultural vision grounded in the relationship between people, landscape, and beauty.

The park hosts site-specific installations by five internationally renowned artists— Antonio Marras, Claudia Losi, Cesare Fullone, Alessandro Lupi, and Laura Pugno —who were invited to engage with the Etna landscape and create works that don't impose themselves on the landscape, but become an integral part of it. Lava stone, ceramics, light, metals, and natural materials create a constantly evolving path, destined to transform along with the surrounding nature.

"Our desire ," explain Fabio Gualandris and Manuela Seminara , "was to create a place where wine was just one of the languages through which this territory can be described. The Artistic Park was born from the belief that beauty can become a tool for knowledge, capable of bringing the landscape to life in a new way and generating value for Etna and its visitors."

The inauguration represents the first step in a project destined to grow over time. Artist residencies and cultural initiatives will continue, transforming the estate into a place of artistic production as well as winemaking.

"A contemporary art park is a living organism, where the works change with the light, the seasons, the wind, and the gaze of those who pass through them ," says Francesca Alfano Miglietti. " At Ballasanti, the artists have chosen to engage with Etna, allowing the place itself to suggest form, material, and meaning."

Gaia Gualandris adds: "This project stems from the belief that beauty can generate value. We didn't simply want to place works in a vineyard, but to create an authentic dialogue between artists and the landscape. The Park will continue to grow over time, just like a vineyard: season after season, encounter after encounter."

The Art Park can now be visited as part of the wine tourism experiences offered by Tenute Ballasanti: a journey that combines tastings, exploration of the local area, and contemporary art, offering visitors a unique perspective on Etna's landscape.

Tenute Ballasanti – The company

Tenute Ballasanti is a winery on the slopes of Mount Etna, born from the vision of Manuela Seminara and Fabio Gualandris , supported by their children Davide, Simone, Gaia, and Lorenzo, and Piedmontese winemaker Luca Caramellino . Their goal is to enhance one of Sicily's most extraordinary terroirs through quality viticulture and a strong focus on landscape culture. The estate cultivates 19 hectares, 7.5 of which are vineyards and 5 in production, spread across three vineyards between 450 and 850 meters above sea level, where Carricante and Nerello Mascalese thrive. Ballasanti's philosophy is based on respect for the ecosystem, the pursuit of beauty, and the dialogue between nature, art, and wine. The Art Park represents a new step in this vision, combining wine production with a permanent cultural project offering visitors an immersive experience of contemporary art, vineyards, and the Etna landscape. Ballasanti launched the first event in 2026 and will continue to repeat the two-day Symposium every year, opening the experience to new cultural forms and the creation of a network of individuals linked by the pleasure of sharing harmony, beauty and culture.