Today, we suggest you a pleasant and original travel idea, the search for artworks carved on dead trunks in some of the Roman districts, and further away. “Tronchi Morti”, this is the title of a project, carried out by a young sculptor, Andrea Gandini, born in 1997, who carves out of tree stumps, left by the roadside, marvellous poetic sculptures.

Sculpture in Via Marmorata – Rome – Instagram gandini.andrea
Thanks to Andrea’s skilled hand, in a few years, several melancholic remains of the trees, which did not survive the dangers of the city, have returned to a new life and beauty.

Tiberinus a Viale Marconi – Roma – Instagram gandini.andrea
After his graduation at the Liceo Artistico in Via Ripetta, possessing neither a workshop, nor modelling material, Andrea Gandini starts wandering around the city, searching for the wood from abandoned stumps, a treasure put at his disposal.

The first works on the streets of Rome – Instagram gandini.andrea
A few tools in his hand and, in a while, he turns the streets of Rome into his open-air workshop. This is how “Tronchi Morti” was born, the project that soon rewarded his passion and great talent.
The shape of a root, a crack in the bark, or an inclination of the wood, are all details inspiring the genius of the artist.

Books in Largo Ravizza – Rome – Instagram gandini.andrea
Here and there, inside the folds and scars of the trunks, scattered throughout the city of Rome, a face, a forest animal, a small village of perched houses show up, expressions of a powerful, charming nature.

Sculpture in Lenola – Instagram gandini.andrea
In a few years, the spontaneous sculptor revitalized many forgotten, sapless trees, and restored their beauty.

Afrodite – Bracciano – Instagram gandini.andrea
Today, the artist is very popular among tourists and on social media, and his works can be found throughout Lazio and all over Italy.

Deer on centuries-old oak at Lake Vico – Instagram gandini.andrea
Searching for Gandini’s artworks will be an exciting treasure hunt! Lazio is dotted with these small and large wooden sculptures, a surprise for the eyes and a relief for the soul. Bracciano, Lenola, Affile, Casperia, are just some of the villages, where they can be appreciated.

Andrea Gandini at work among the admired onlookers