San Casciano ’08, 2005-2008

corten steel, olive trees, willows and vines
Roundabout, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Florence, Italy

“The three cor-ten steel steles placed in the middle of a roundabout on the road to Chianti, at the north entrance to San Casciano, are closely related to human Labour in the Tuscan hills. They are actually inspired by the intertwining canes and reeds which farmers use to support plants out in the fields. The elliptical roundabout accommodating the work, which is planted with willows, maypoles, vines and olive trees, represents a microcosm of the Tuscan countryside, whose agricultural landscape is marked but not scarred by wine and oil production. Paradoxically, the celebratory grandeur of Staccioli’s work has triggered off fresh interest in work on the landscape, it alludes to a sense of measure in exploiting natural resources and the respect shown by Tuscan farmers”

Maria Laura Gelmini, Mauro Staccioli. At the roots of sculpting, Corraini Edizioni, Mantova 2008, p.230