A Maze to Amaze: Get Lost in Italy's Best Kept Secret

In the collective imaginary we associate a labyrinth to a place where one should get lost. We would rather think of it as a place of contemplation and wander. Since not all those who wander are lost, we found loads of inspiration in this hidden Italian gem most people know nothing about.

Italy is not only made of Rome, Venice, and Florence but there are many jewels that are hidden amongst its landscapes. We wanted to share with you a real diamond in the rough. Unless you are familiar with the area you could pass it up without ever knowing this secret magical garden existed.

Franco Maria Ricci is a designer, editor and art collector. He created an incredible place called The Labyrinth of Masone in Parma. He was inspired by the ancient greek myth of the minotaur. According to the legend, the minotaur was trapped in a maze by a curse. His lover was waiting for him on the other side. In order to break the spell, he had to cross this laborious maze.

The museum exhibits over 500 artworks and was designed together with architects Piercarlo Bontempi and Davide Dutto. The labyrinth is made of different varieties of Bamboo. 

Finding elegant editorial design inspiration

As an editor, Franco Maria Ricci dedicated his work to the publication of art books and limited editions. The classical black silk binding and the gold lettering were considered a staple of chic in the editorial world. It is still esthetically pleasing even for todays’ standard. 

Well, we crossed the maze and found our love on the other side: Franco Maria Ricci’s work was a true inspiration for one of our next projects. We've been working on a photographic and artistic book lately with two talented photographers from Milan, Matteo Tranchellini and Moreno Monti. The book will be coming to you in spring. Here you can find a sneak peek.

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The Best Offer (2013) is a film by director Giuseppe Tornatore staring Geoffrey Rush, Sylvia Hoeks, Jim Sturgess and Donald Sutherland. We are pretty sure some of the gallery scenes were shot inside of The Labyrinth of Masone. What do you think? If you happen to see it, tweet us your thoughts.