Cappella del Barolo – colorful chapel among the vineyards
Once a simple brick chapel, it is now an eye-catcher, painted with bright colors, among the green vines. The colorful chapel was created by Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett, who transformed the brick walls into brightly colored works of art at the request of the Ceretto family in 1999.
Historical interpretation:
The idea actually came about by accident, when British artist David Tremlett was nearby for an exhibition at Barolo Castle. He met the Ceretto family, who wanted to have the chapel renovated, and found it a challenge to transform a chapel into a work of art.
He designed the interior of the chapel himself, for the outside he asked Sol LeWitt, one of the artists with whom he was good friends. The story goes that as compensation they received no money, but a bottle of Barolo every week, until their death.
The chapel was officially inaugurated in 1914 as the Cappella di Santa Maria delle Grazie, but now this name rings a bell with few Piemontesi. Everyone knows the chapel as the Cappella del Barolo, but beware: on Google Maps you will find the chapel as the Cappella delle Brunate.
More chapel art in Piemonte
What few people outside of Piedmont know is that David Tremlett created another work of art in Piedmont in 2016 – in the village of Coazzolo, between Alba and Asti. Here he painted the walls of the Chiesetta della Beata Maria Vergine del Carmine.
Tremlett was a great lover of Italy. He once said: 'Italy is the homeland of painting. I paint walls but am a sculptor. In Rome, I looked at Michelangelo's and Raphael's works in awe. To learn something new, you have to let it surprise you and know how to observe.'