The naïve artist and writer Pietro Ghizzardi was born in Corte Pavesina (Viadana) in 1906, into a family of farmers. From a young age, he developed a deep passion for painting in an amateur way, initially working on the walls of farmhouses. He moved to Boretto in 1931 and there began his career as a painter, with a series of exhibitions held in different locations across Northern Italy that earned him significant recognition: in 1968 he took part in the “Mostra nazionale dei Naïf di Luzzara” (National Exhibition of Naïve Artists of Luzzara), where he was awarded the golden medal by the President of the Italian Republic. Pietro Ghizzardi died in Boretto in 1986.

Since the late 1990’s, Ghizzardi’s works have been exhibited in many Italian cities (Ravenna, 2013; Bergamo, 2013; Reggio Emilia, 2022-23; Lecco, 2025), as well as abroad, within broader exhibitions dedicated to contemporary art, from Paris (Banditi dell’arte, 2012), to Tokyo (Homage to  Henri Rousseau. The World of Naive painters and Outsiders, 2013), and New York ("PHOTO | BRUT: Collection Bruno Decharme & Compagnie", 2021). Many of his creations are now preserved in museums and private collections throughout Europe: including the Musée d’Art Naïf de Laval (France), the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb, the Charlotte Zander Museum in Bönnigheim (Germany), the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art in Piacenza and the “Un Paese” Foundation in Luzzara.

Ghizzardi was also active in the field of writing: his autobiography “Mi richordo anchora” (Einaudi, Torino 1976; Eng. I still remember) was nominated as “Opera Prima” for the Viareggio Prize; followed by A Lilla quattro pietre in immortalate (Scheiwiller, Milano 1980), and the posthumously published Giugliètta e romeo and Il bambino di Viareggio rapito (Renzo Pivetti Editore, Mirandola 1986). Ghizzardi’s life was also repeatedly adapted into documentaries (1965, Film Luce; 1979, Rai 1) and films.

The Bassa Reggiana preserves important traces of Pietro Ghizzardi’s legacy: in 1992, the Pietro Ghizzardi “Al Belvedere” House-Museum was established in Boretto and continues to safeguard his artistic heritage; while in the town centre stands Casa Falugi - where Ghizzardi lived and worked for many years - which still preserves his 1969 cycle of frescoes.