The Ammirato Culture House website is now live! http://www.ammiratoculturehouse.org/

The Ammirato Culture House is a social space at the crossroads of three neighbourhoods in Lecce, Italy. It was established in early 2012 by Musagetes, Loop House (a sound-art residency), and numerous artists and organizations. Housed in a 16th-century villa that was once an Enlightened philosophy school led by Scipione Ammirato, the Ammirato Culture House has given new significance to Ammirato’s name for the school: The House of the Transformed, that is, a school based on the belief that the arts transform our lives and societies. Now, 400 years later, the heavy stone walls are once again housing artists and residents.

The Ammirato Culture House is a platform for research and reflection by a collective of artists, activists, scholars, producers, cultural associations, and individuals who are collaborating on projects that aim to build a community of critical engagement with art and ideas in Lecce. As a social centre we aim to establish a strong neighbourhood identity with new possibilities for social, artistic, and civic engagement — ideas that will arise from the dreams and needs of the inhabitants.