MAAAPO – Museo Arte Ambiente Arena Po: when art meets nature on the Po embankment

In the heart of the Oltrepò Pavese, in Arena Po, a unique project is born that merges art, landscape and local identity: MAAAPO – Museo Arte Ambiente Arena Po, an open-air municipal museum in which nature becomes a gallery and each work fits harmoniously into the environment.

Cover image taken from the MAAPO – Museo Arte Ambiente Arena Po website

A widespread, free and always accessible museum

MAAAPO is an open-air museum, conceived to establish a deep connection between culture and environment. The works, located in the streets of the historic centre of Arena Po and the picturesque promenade along the artificial Po riverbank, can be visited freely at any time, even illuminated at night. An immersive and free experience, accessible to all, without barriers or timetables.

The visionary project of Gaetano Grillo

The museum’s creator and founder is artist Gaetano Grillo, who since 2015 has involved artists, collectors and institutions in the creation of this innovative cultural space. The project also took shape thanks to the support of Mayor Alessandro Belforti, who promoted a profound urban redevelopment of the village, transforming it into an authentic artistic excellence of the Oltrepò.

A growing author’s collection

MAAAPO houses works by internationally renowned artists such as Omar Galliani, Antonio Ievolella, Alik Cavaliere, Michelangelo Galliani, Gianni Asdrubali, Marco Nereo Rotelli, Aldo Spoldi, Nicola Salvatore, and many others. The works – sculptures and wall paintings – were donated or loaned and, in some cases, created directly on site.

The museum is presided over by Livia Pomodoro (President of the Brera Academy), with artistic direction by Gaetano Grillo and supervision by Prof. Flavio Caroli, internationally renowned art historian.

The physical location and expansion of the collection

In 2024, thanks to the contribution of the Lombardy Region, the physical headquarters of MAAAPO was inaugurated: an Art Nouveau building in Via Garibaldi 59 in Arena Po, which houses a permanent collection with the first works donated by artists such as Omar Galliani, Renzogallo, Nicola Salvatore, Gianni Asdrubali, Gianni Cella and Gaetano Grillo.

Among the most recent projects is the recovery of the ‘Calendario‘, a collective work created in 1975 for the Galleria Solferino in Milan, donated by theAlik Cavaliere Archive.

Useful information

📍 Address: via Garibaldi 59, Arena Po (PV)
📬 Email: museomaaapo@gmail.com
📞 Telephone: 0385 270005
🌍 Website: www.maaapo.it
🔗 Project page: www.gaetanogrillo.com/progetti/maaapo

📌 O pening:

• Museum spread: accessible 24 hours a day
• Physical location: via Garibaldi 59 (hours defined after inauguration 11/05/2024)
  🎫 A dmission: free