In the seventeenth-century Villa Porciani, now the seat of the Municipality of Pieve a Nievole, there is a beautiful Madonna and Child frescoed in the second half of the sixteenth century. The subject, very common in the history of art, is here interpreted in the light of the most widespread artistic taste in Tuscany at the time, that of the Counter-Reformation. The Virgin Mary, in fact, dressed in the traditional pink dress and blue cloak, is depicted seated - probably on a large chair that has unfortunately been lost - while trying to hold on her lap an already large and particularly lively Jesus, captured in the act of holding the globe with the cross on it, symbol of his royalty. Evidence of this liveliness is the position and gestures of the Child who, on one side, tries to escape from his mother's embrace by pushing her away with his leg, but on the other, points to her. The Madonna's face is turned to the right: her gaze is absorbed, as if to suggest a distance of thoughts, an intimate and profound reflection on what will be the destiny of her Son. In such an everyday scene that narrates the relationship between mother and child, her serious and melancholic expression goes straight to the heart, also pushing the observer to meditate on the sacred mysteries of Christ. Depictions of this type, of high devotional impact, look a lot to the lesson of the great Florentine masters of the early sixteenth century, in particular Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), from whom derive almost literal quotations of some details, such as the anatomy of the baby Jesus. Precisely for this reason, art historians have thought of attributing this work to a painter belonging to the circle of Francesco Brina (1529-1586), perhaps Francesco Mati (1561-1623), an artist who shared a workshop in Florence with Domenico Soldini, originally from Pescia. In fact, the regular and soft features of the two figures would appear similar to the Pieve fresco, as well as the freshness of the brushstroke, enhanced by a chromatic range that plays on acidulous tones, traceable in other works by Mati, such as for example in the frescoes of the vaults of the Chapel of the Male Ward in Santa Maria Nuova and in the panel depicting the Madonna of the Rosary from the Pieve of Romena, now preserved in the church of the Santissimo Nome di Gesù in Pratovecchio in Casentino.

In the center of Pieve a Nievole there is a beautiful 17th century hunting lodge built in the Renaissance period by the Medici family, where today the headquarters of the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall) is located.
In 1864 the property was sold to the Community of Montecatini Valdinievole and then the building was radically renovated for its use as the seat of the new Municipality of Pieve a Nievole in 1905.
On the façade there is a bronze bas-relief dedicated to Giovanni Mimbelli, the town's first Mayor.

Nel mondo dell'arte, il visibile è solo la superficie di una realtà più profonda. Con la mostra 'OLTRE IL VISIBILE', Laura Corre e Andrea Mattiello ci invitano a esplorare le molteplici dimensioni della percezione, dell'identità e della materia attraverso una serie di opere che sfidano i confini della rappresentazione.

Le tele di Corre e Mattiello giocano con l'assenza e la presenza, con il frammento e l'intero. Volti emergono e si dissolvono, occhi scrutano da spazi interrotti, corpi si fondono con lo sfondo in un dialogo tra il reale e l'illusorio. L'uso magistrale del colore, della luce e della texture trasforma la pittura in un'esperienza sensoriale e concettuale.

Da un lato, l'astrazione e il colore vibrante di Mattiello evocano figure sospese nello spazio, in cui il non-detto diventa protagonista. Dall'altro, la delicatezza e il dettaglio iperrealista di Corre suggeriscono una realtà fragile e permeabile, dove il volto umano si fa simbolo di qualcosa di irraggiungibile.

Attraverso queste opere, gli artisti ci chiedono: cosa vediamo davvero? E cosa ci sfugge? Oltre il Visibile è un viaggio nell'incertezza della percezione, una ricerca di verità che si nasconde tra le pieghe dell'immagine.

Andrea Mattiello is a tuscanian artist that likes to call himself 'image creator'.
He attended the school art 'Policarpo Petrocchi' in Pistoia and in the meantime, he began to make his first personal works by indulging his passion for certain artistic currents.
'Tutti uguali, tutti diversi' is one of his painting that, during the world day against the homophonia in 2018, the Municipality of Pieve a Nievole placed in the headquarters of the Palazzo.
The canvas has some butterfly silhouettes, the main element of Andrea Mattiello's 'Ombre nomadi' works, which were exhibited in the town hall from 25 March to 25 April 2018.
The canvas portrayed only white butterflies and, on the occasion of the Liberation's day of that year, citizens were able to color them (by painting one by one) in complete freedom.
A beautiful moment of reflection, emotion and sharing thanks to which the municipal administration decided to make the canvas a manifesto against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, to reiterate its dissent against discrimination of sexual orientation, underlining that every man and every woman, even if different in sexual inclinations or orientation, is equal to the others in feelings and above all in the right to be free to love whoever he or she wants.
'Long live the freedom, long live the rights, no discriminations.'

www.ricordipievarini.it/museov.php?id=23