Labirinto della Masone
Cultural park with the largest bamboo labyrinth in the world and a collection of about five hundred artworks from the 16th to the 20th century.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Labirinto della Masone is a cultural park conceived by the publisher, bibliophile, designer and collector Franco Maria Ricci and opened in May 2015 in Fontanellato. Ricci had already announced the project in the early 2000s in the pages of the magazine FMR, imagining “ruins and bamboo” in whose shade a great labyrinth, a library and other “superfluous things” would arise. The idea went back to 1977, when he promised his friend Jorge Luis Borges that one day he would build the largest maze in the world.
The project took shape in the 1990s thanks to the encounter with the young architect Davide Dutto, who proposed reconstructing on the computer the island of Cythera described in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. The bamboo labyrinth is a compendium of the historical forms of the labyrinth: the route towards the centre recalls classical labyrinths, the square plan those of the Romans, and the star-shaped perimeter the form of the ideal cities of the Renaissance.
The complex also includes a museum with about five hundred works, arranged over five thousand square metres, from the 16th to the 20th century: 17th-century and Neoclassical sculpture, Vanitas, Mannerists such as the Carracci and Cambiaso, artists of the Duchy of Parma, 19th-century painting with Hayez, and works by Wildt, Ligabue and Savinio. The display proceeds by association and reflects the taste of the founder. The site is also a publishing workshop, the venue for temporary exhibitions, a restaurant and a bistro.
Highlights
- Bamboo labyrinth, the largest in the world
- Collection of about five hundred works from the 16th to the 20th century
- Works by Hayez, Wildt, Ligabue and Savinio
- Vanitas and 17th-century and Neoclassical sculptures
- App with digital routes and tactile maps
- Restaurant and bistro in the Corte d’Ingresso (entrance courtyard)
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione d'arte permanente di Franco Maria Ricci – About five hundred works from the 16th to the 20th century over five thousand square metres, displayed by association.
- Founded
- 2015
- Operated by
- Fondazione Franco Maria Ricci
- Visitors per year
- approx. 92,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €20 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €16students and people aged 6 to 25, people with disabilities, members of partner organisations (FAI, TCI and others) |
| Children & teens | €16free up to age 5 · Free admission up to age 5, without booking; reduced ticket for ages 6 to 25. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €16companion free · Reduced ticket for people with disabilities; the companion enters free. |
| Students & apprentices | €16Reduced Under 26 + Students ticket. |
| Groups | €16 per personOrganised adult groups; visit to be arranged with the booking service. |
| Families | €50Two parents and one child aged 6 to 18; large families (two parents and two or more children) €65. |
| Large family ticket (2 parents and at least 2 children aged 6–18) | €65 |
| School ticket | €12For school visits within educational programmes. |
| Annual pass | €50Valid for one year from purchase; covers the park, the collection and the temporary exhibitions. |
The ticket is a day ticket and covers the labyrinth, the permanent art collection and the temporary exhibitions on show; you can leave and re-enter several times on the day of validity. Free admission for authorised tour guides, ICOM members, journalists registered with the professional Order, and companions of people with disabilities. Ticket reduced to €16 for members of partner organisations and other agreements. Prices as updated on 18 March 2024. On weekends and public holidays online booking is recommended.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description
According to the website the complex is free of architectural barriers, except the belvedere tower. The digital-route app offers video and texts for deaf visitors and audio files for blind and partially sighted visitors, also in English; tactile maps are available at totems in the area. Virtual tour of the museum and the labyrinth. The labyrinth is entirely outdoors, with concrete paths usable even in the rain.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
| Family ticket | €50 · Two parents and one child aged 6 to 18; large families (two parents and two or more children) €65. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Family ticket, free admission up to age 5, educational activities for schools of all levels and a playful experience in the app for younger children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The nearest railway stations are Fidenza and Parma.
By car
Free parking
Large free and unattended car park; the nearest motorhome area is in Fontanellato, almost 5 km away.
By car, less than 10 minutes from Fidenza and 15 minutes from Parma: A1 Fidenza exit (from Milan), Parma Ovest (from Bologna and La Spezia), then via Emilia. Taxi from Parma and Fidenza at +39 347 373 1302. The labyrinth is 5 km from the medieval village of Fontanellato.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
Restaurant Il Labirinto by 12 Monaci (lunch Wednesday to Sunday, dinner Friday and Saturday), bistro and food shop, bookshop and Ephemera boutique in the Corte d’Ingresso.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
Spaces for parties and private events; catering services on booking.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (IT, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The visit has no time limit, but at least an hour and a half is recommended; on average about 45 minutes are needed to walk through the labyrinth and as long for the museum. Guided tours with an art historian of the Foundation, only inside the museum, by booking (tel. +39 0521 827 081, gruppi@francomariaricci.com). The app “Labirinto della Masone” offers three narrative routes in video-podcast form. Picnics are not allowed; drones are prohibited. |
