Scuola dei Sassi

Artist Valerio Rocco Orlando’s initiative in the Sassi districts of Matera is designed as an alternative, independent, and free educational program for adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 25.

Located in a state-owned building that was restored and repurposed after years of abandonment through a thirty-year sub-concession, Scuola dei Sassi serves as a work of art, a laboratory, and an archive of human relationships. It is a continuous effort to reconsider how art, heritage, and the city intersect, aiming to redefine social spaces, foster intergenerational learning, and reevaluate the role of cultural institutions.

The project is organized by Associazione Osmosis Ente del Terzo Settore and was made possible with support from Fondazione Mon Soleil.

Scuola dei Sassi, 2021
State-owned property before restoration
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Pierangelo Laterza

Scuola dei Sassi, 2022
Workshop
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Joseph Geoffriau

Scuola dei Sassi, 2024
Workshop
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Alice Santantonio

L’appello, 2024
Workshop
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Pierangelo Laterza

La verità è una terra senza sentieri, 2024
Workshop
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Alice Santantonio

Scuola dei Sassi, 2024
State-owned property after restoration
Courtesy: the artist and Scuola dei Sassi, Matera, Italy. Photo: Pierangelo Laterza