2026 – Baroque Blue (sept)

Baroque Blue Art & Nature Residency 2026 (5th Edition)
Theme: The Nachiri Routes: Biodiversity and Landscape
Curated by Dores Sacquegna
Torre Dell’Orso, Lecce Puglia, Italy
  September 19 – October 3, 2026

Primo Piano invites you to join the fifth edition of its Baroque Blue Art & Nature Residency, an intimate gathering shaped by creation, reflection, and connection. Set along the luminous coastline of TORRE DELL’ORSO, where the sea is not just a view but a presence, this residency unfolds as a space to listen more deeply—to your practice, to others, and to the quiet stories held by the landscape.

ANCIENT LEGENDS describe Salento as a peninsula beyond time and space. Anyone who has traveled there can attest that one leaves the hustle and bustle of the world behind and enters a different dimension. As temples of transformation reemerge across the planet, the Mysteries of Salento call us to welcome awakening souls.

COME, poets, artists, musicians, creators of all kinds. COME, adventurers, lovers of mysteries, rebels, misfits and catalysts for change, activists of the sacred awakening. COME, dreamers of the new culture. COME, those committed to awakening, to leadership. COME, unfold your love, gifts, and power within the body of the soul community. YOU are the leadership of the New Dawn. This is an invitation to travel into the unknown, like Aeneas who, fleeing Troy, reaches the shores of Salento and prays before the temple of Athena in Castro. We travel into the unmapped territories of our peninsula, and you’ll be part of an unforgettable journey!

BAROQUE BLUE mission is to bring to life living temples that embody the ideals of a new culture. You’ll become part of a vibrant community that radiates culture through art, archaeology, history, the landscape, and the magic of a region like Salento, rich in legends and mysteries. We’ll share teachings, practices, and hands-on experiences as we explore the landscape by land and sea. This is not a pre-packaged formula, but a living remedy, a practice of deep listening—to ourselves, to the group, and to life—while keeping the fire of transformation at the heart of our journey. As a group, we will pass together through the initiatory portals of the spirit, the soul, and the body, charting our course, creating meaning, and paving the way for future generations.

The Nachiri Routes is an expression that evokes the historical and cultural paths linked to olive oil production in Salento, centered on the figure of the “Nachiro” (or helmsman).  The term draws on a nautical metaphor, as the oil mill was seen as an underground ship and the nachiro as its captain. During the summer, the nachiro was on a voyage aboard his ship, and in the winter, he was the master of the underground oil mills (hypogeum). This residency offers more than a retreat—it is a space for reconnection, reflection, and creative awakening.  It is an invitation to return to yourself, to reconnect with the land, and to create from a place of depth, presence, and truth.

There is a fascinating myth that links Aeneas and Salento, classical mythology with the Land of Otranto—a poetic tale, that of Virgil as narrated in the Aeneid, which identifies Torre dell’Orso, Porto Badisco, and Castro as Aeneas’s landing place after his flight from Troy. The two rocks Virgil refers to are the “Due sorelle/two sisters,” the two sea stacks located in front of the bay of Torre dell ’Orso. Nearby is the San Cristoforo grotto, known to all travellers who circumnavigated Salento, with ships carved into the rock and other shrines dedicated to sailors and the gods worshiped in this part of Italy.  This itinerary explores the sites steeped in myth, the historic crossroads between East and West, the landscape, the underground world, and the centuries-old tradition that has made Salento one of the leading producers of olive oil in the Mediterranean.

Like ancient Nachiri (sailors), You will embark on your journey following the routes that will lead them to discover your true Self. A sacred and profound journey to honour your roots and discover who you have been and who you are ready to become.

https://baroqueblueresidency.com/en/feedback/

We have 10 spots available and the application deadline is July 30th.

To learn more:  primopianoexhibition01@gmail.com or primopianorecidency@gmail.com

See video promo here