Casa Sponge

In the hills of the Marche hinterland, in the small hamlet of Mezzanotte, there is a house where contemporary art has found a different dimension from that of the major cultural centers. It is Casa Sponge, founded in 2007 by artist Giovanni Gaggia as an independent space and the first artist residency in the Marche region. A secluded spot, surrounded by fields and oak trees, where the house itself has, over time, become a space for gathering, research, and artistic creation.

Here, art becomes part of everyday life: the rooms of the farmhouse host artworks, exhibitions, residencies, and opportunities for dialogue, welcoming artists, curators, scholars, and travelers. The decision to work outside traditional art circuits has not meant isolation, but rather the building of a network of relationships that, over the years, has brought hundreds of Italian and international artists to Mezzanotte, making this corner of the province of Pesaro and Urbino a hub for contemporary art.

Casa Sponge is thus a home, a residence, and an art space all at once, where the line between exhibition space and living space becomes blurred. The surrounding landscape—with the hills of the Marche region and the peaks of Catria and Nerone in the background—is not merely a backdrop but part of the experience: a setting where art, hospitality, and nature continue to converge, shaping an intimate and off-the-beaten-path way of experiencing contemporary culture.