C areening up and down the hills of Italy’s Piedmont region, I was content to stick my head out the window and watch the vineyards roll by. We had the good fortune of road tripping around wine country with a friend living in Genoa who had mapped out the route to maximize Slow Food and bold Barolo wine. When he suggested stopping at a chapel in the countryside, I pictured classical frescos and cherubs. I was not prepared for the riotous technicolor fever dream of the Chapel of Barolo.
Stopping Traffic
The Chapel of Barolo, or Capella delle Brunate, does not seamlessly blend in with its timeless surrounding. It demands attention in bright blocks of color, quite literally stopping traffic on this country road.
The chapel, first named Cappella delle SS. Madonnas of Grace, was built in 1914 by farmers as a temporary shelter against bad weather. When Bruno Ceretto purchased the land in the 1970s it was in disrepair.
“We produce wine from the soil of this land. Now we’re going to give something back to it.”
– Bruno Ceretto
In this region, art appears at the dining table rather than on the walls. Yet Ceretto was inspired to transform the old chapel into a work of art after visiting the Chapel du Rosart designed by Henri Matisse.
Worth its Weight in Wine
Ceretto previously met artist David Tremlett when he exhibited at the nearby Castle of Barolo and approached him to work on the project. Tremlett partnered with American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt in 1999, and they agreed to accept their fee in bottles of Ceretto wine.
“I proposed creating something to spend a pleasant day, a place to sit, drink a glass of wine, read a book – maybe pray too.” – David Tremlett
They decided that LeWitt would decorate the exterior and Tremlett would tackle the interior. “If we’d tried to share the space any other way we wouldn’t be speaking by now,” LeWitt told The Independent.
Enclosed with Color
LeWitt’s vibrant, geometric exterior is unburdened from its context to religion or its surroundings. While wavy lines may nod to the rolling hills, splashy purple, yellow, orange, green, and red replace the neighboring muted tones.
Exterior by Sol LeWitt 
Exterior by Sol LeWitt
“I thought of it as an abstract form,” he said. “It would not be so much a Catholic church, more a place where people could go inside and meditate, be enclosed with color and light and form.”
Interior by David Tremlett 
Interior by David Tremlett
The Chapel of Barolo’s interior is also awash in color, albeit in more muted tones. David Tremlett pulls in the colors and materials of the land, including marble and Murano glass. Using an earth-tone color palette or peach and terracotta, Tremlett applied the paint with his bare hands.
A Piedmont Rainbow
In a region steeped in tradition, the Chapel of Barolo is a refreshing signal that taking shelter need not mean blending in. It’s setting as a hidden gem in Italy’s countryside makes its artistic impact all the more powerful.
Overlooking the vista of orderly vineyards from the hilltop town of La Morra, I watched an afternoon drizzle stretch into a rainbow. It was just a hint of the explosion of color that awaited me as we descended into the valley toward the Chapel of Barolo.
Chapel of Barolo
12064 La Morra
Province of Cuneo, Italy
Sources
- “Capella di Sol LeWitt e David Tremlett” sign. Ceretto, Province of Cuneo, Italy, Viewed 2 June 2017.
- Invernizzi, Alice. “The Barolo Chapel: Sol LeWitt’s Colorful Church in Italy.” Barnebys.com, Barnebys, 5 Aug. 2019.
- Sweet, Matthew. “Art: It’s the Chapel of His Eye.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 21 Aug. 1999.
Jessica Mlinaric founded Urban Explorer in 2010 to inspire curious travelers by highlighting history, culture, and hidden gems in Chicago and beyond. She is the author of ‘Secret Chicago’ and ‘Chicago Scavenger.’ Jessica has visited 20+ countries and 30+ U.S. states. She has more than 16 years of experience as a marketing strategist and works as a freelance writer and photographer.
