Villa Strobele was the site of the first Arte Sella exhibition in 1986, featuring works from three local artists.
The park is home to 'vegetal architecture,' where structures are grown and shaped using living trees over several years.
Many works at Arte Sella are intentionally designed to be reclaimed by the forest, meaning they disappear or collapse over time.
The location serves as a laboratory for the 'Art and Nature' movement, drawing artists from across the globe to use only found, local materials.
The villa was a private residence before being repurposed as the cultural heart of the Arte Sella foundation.
Villa Strobele serves as the historic starting point and primary site of the Arte Sella open-air contemporary art museum in the Sella Valley. The site features a 19th-century villa surrounded by a curated garden that hosts site-specific works created using natural materials like wood, stone, and leaves. Unlike a traditional indoor gallery, the installations here are intentionally ephemeral and designed to decompose as part of the artistic process. The garden acts as an incubator for international artists who live on-site to develop projects that harmonize with the Alpine environment. It is the birthplace of the 'Arte Natura' movement, which explores the relationship between creative expression and environmental sustainability. Visitors can walk through the original parklands where the movement first took root in 1986. The villa itself periodically hosts indoor exhibitions and thematic workshops related to the surrounding outdoor installations. The location is distinct for its focus on the 'art of nature' rather than art placed within nature.
The central garden vista facing the 'vegetal architecture' structures, which provides a frame of the surrounding mountains.
Check the official website for rotating exhibition schedules, as some installations are temporary and change seasonally.
Prepare for uneven, natural terrain; the garden paths are not paved.
Visit during a weekday to avoid crowds, as the trails are narrow and popularity has increased significantly.
Do not expect a traditional museum with climate-controlled galleries; this is an outdoor, changing environment exposed to the elements.
Open daily throughout the year, but may close temporarily during severe weather events or heavy snowfall.
Do not touch, climb, or move the art installations as they are fragile and often in a state of natural decay.
