Talk at Biblioteca Manfrediana
By di Wu Ming 2

The Italian word paesaggio, landscape, originally designated a genre of painting, where the natural environment was no longer in the background but became the subject of representation. The landscape was on canvas, not in the real world, and the term was synonymous with view, closely related to the act of watching.

However, for some time now, another idea of landscape has been gaining ground, with emphasis on understanding rather than perception. The landscape is to the territory, like meaning to the sound of words.

What does that row of poplars mean? What story is hidden behind that church? What magical formulas can be used to summon the ghosts of the river?

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FOTO (copyright Francesca Leonardi)