CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA LIVE PERFORMANCE 2025: A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC, DANCE, AND ART IN THE HEART OF OLTREPÒ PAVESE
PRESS RELEASE
Set atop the rolling hills of Oltrepò Pavese, Castello di Cigognola once again becomes a stage for the arts with the 2025 edition of Cigognola Live Performance, under the artistic direction of Émilie Fouilloux. This multidisciplinary festival has established itself, year after year, as a space for artistic creation and critical reflection—where visual art, music, and dance intertwine with the evocative spirit of the location. The 2025 program centers around the theme of play, explored as a rich and complex metaphor for freedom, rules, conflict, and resistance. This unifying concept runs through each performance, turning the festival into a cultural observatory of our times.
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA 2025.
THE CASTLE: A LEGACY OF HISTORY, CULTURAL COMMITMENT, AND WINE PRODUCTION
Castello di Cigognola is a place where eight centuries of history converge. Founded in 1212 as a military outpost overlooking the Scuropasso Valley, it was transformed in the 19th century by Don Carlo Arnaboldi-Gazzaniga into an elegant neo-Gothic residence.
In the decades that followed, the castle became a gathering place for prominent intellectuals such as Benedetto Croce, Eugenio Montale, Guido Piovene, and Luigi Einaudi—thanks to the hospitality of Emilia Ajroldi di Robbiate, grandmother of Letizia Moratti.
In the early 1980s, a devastating fire severely damaged the structure. Letizia and Gian Marco Moratti entrusted its restoration to Renzo Mongiardino, the renowned master of historicist décor, who envisioned a renaissance for the castle—merging architectural references, theatrical design, and exceptional craftsmanship. The decorative restoration was carried out in collaboration with the artisan workshops of the San Patrignano Community, a cause the Moratti family has long supported.
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA 2025 – Interiors Ph. Pietro Sgaramella.
Alongside its historical and cultural significance, Castello di Cigognola today stands as a prominent wine estate. Under the direction of Gabriele Moratti, the estate spans 36 hectares cultivated according to organic viticulture principles. The focus is on Pinot Noir, prized for its exceptional phenolic ripeness—ideal for crafting premium Metodo Classico sparkling wines, such as the Pas Dosé, an authentic expression of the region. The winery embraces organic practices and precision viticulture, minimizing interventions and favoring homeopathic solutions for plant treatments.
Oenological consulting is entrusted to Federico Staderini and Nicolas Secondé—chef de cave in Ambonnay with deep roots in the Champagne tradition—who bring their expertise to enrich the project.
Though still a private residence, the castle occasionally opens its doors for special events, such as the FAI Heritage Days in late September or curated wine tasting sessions held in its dedicated tasting room. Throughout the year, it also hosts major artistic and philosophical initiatives, reaffirming its role as a crossroads of historical memory, cultural experimentation, and oenological innovation.
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA 2025 – LIVE PERFORMANCE KOR’ SIA Ph. Pietro Sgaramella.
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA LIVE PERFORMANCE 2025
Alongside its winemaking tradition, Castello di Cigognola nurtures a profound cultural vocation, becoming a stage where arts, ideas, and landscape engage in a deep and ongoing dialogue with contemporary culture and the unique character of the surrounding region. The Castello di Cigognola Live Performance, conceived by Émilie Fouilloux—former ballerina of the Paris Opera and La Scala, and now the creative director of the castle’s artistic projects—embodies this vision. Drawing on an international artistic journey across Paris, New York, and Milan, Émilie has shaped a multidisciplinary platform that weaves together diverse languages—from dance and music to visual arts and philosophy.
“The festival sprang from my passion for dance, but also from a deep desire to share other art forms within a space that has the power to transform all who enter it,” Émilie reflects.
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA 2025 – PROVE APERTE Ph. Pietro Sgaramella.
The theme of the 2025 edition is play, intended as a metaphor for challenge, rules, and resistance. Beneath its apparent lightness, play reflects the tensions of the present and becomes, through art, a tool to shape and give meaning to these struggles. In this context, beauty does not comfort; instead, it stimulates, provokes, and opens new realms of imagination.
Pianist Giovanni Bertolazzi embodies this tension in his performance dedicated to Romantic music. Through interpretations of Chopin and Liszt, he explores conflict as a creative force, transforming pain and memory into a shared, universal beauty.
“Music is a language that enables people to communicate through beauty—a beauty that conveys the full spectrum of human emotions, not all of them pleasant. […] Even in music born from the darkest, most tragic contexts, we find a language of extraordinary beauty. We recognize its redemptive power. Whether expressing a personal or historical experience, music always embodies a form of salvation.” — Giovanni Bertolazzi
The Kor’sia collective, under the direction of Mattia Russo and Antonio de Rosa, presents Igra, a choreographic performance staged on a tennis court—a potent symbol of structured play and social competition. Drawing inspiration from Vaslav Nijinsky’s 1912 ballet of the same name, the work delves into the ambivalence between play and conflict, presenting a contemporary perspective where art serves as a space for emancipation and the rewriting of rules.
“Each person has the freedom to be whoever they choose, and through this match at the heart of the performance, we seek to shed light on the persistent challenges within today’s society—and to inspire ways to overcome them,” — Mattia Russo and Antonio de Rosa
CASTELLO DI CIGOGNOLA 2025 – LIVE PERFORMANCE KOR’ SIA Ph. Pietro Sgaramella.
Artist Grazia Toderi unveils We Mark, an immersive installation that transforms a billiard table into a cosmic landscape, illuminated by projections that evoke the fragility of our planet and humanity’s profound responsibility. In this work, the game serves as a metaphor for memory, time, and transformation—an evocative reflection on the visible and invisible marks we leave on the world.
“We Mark is a project I have been developing over time. It begins with the physical earth—material, fertile soil. Earth that is marked, trodden, exploited, and displaced. […] As Calvino said, ‘what we trace upon the earth is reflected in the sky.’ This is why we must be deeply mindful of our actions,” —Grazia Toderi
The Cigognola Live Performance 2025 will take place on June 28 by invitation, while on June 27 the rehearsals will be open to the public, with special focus on local dance schools and young people involved through organizations such as Save the Children.
As with every edition, the event stands out for its unique format: an intimate cultural laboratory where art, dance, and music engage with the pressing issues of our time through site-specific performances and works. The Castle thus transforms into a creative observatory, where play becomes a poetic gesture and an act of freedom.