Visiting the exhibition “Views of the Landscape” is like taking a tour of Emilia-Romagna through 60 photographs. It’s a captivating journey through protected landscapes that capture many of the region’s most distinctive features—from the forests on the highest ridges to the meandering rivers and coastal bodies of water. A journey accompanied by the flow of water—a prominent theme from the Apennine lakes to the waterfalls of the inland valleys, all the way to the lagoons and salt flats along the Adriatic coast. In many of the photographs, the human presence blends into the landscape, telling a long story of castles, villages, sanctuaries, and roads that reflect the evolution of the relationship between humans and nature over time.
The perspectives are those of locals and travelers—photography enthusiasts—who responded with great generosity and sensitivity to a photography contest aimed at shedding light not only on the most famous and extraordinary landscapes, such as the Pietra di Bismantova or the Comacchio Valleys, but also on the countless sites recognized as being of significant public interest over more than a century of conservation—a heritage that remains unknown and undervalued compared to what it deserves.
The exhibition, which is touring the entire region in nine stops, is being hosted at some of Emilia-Romagna’s most significant art venues. It offers a dual opportunity to discover and rediscover extraordinary landscapes and cultural sites of exceptional importance.
The Parma stop is the result of a collaboration between the Pilotta Monumental Complex itself, the ABA Superintendencies of Parma and Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region. It offers a journey through protected landscapes that showcase many of our region’s most distinctive features, from the Apennine forests to the valleys, all the way to the salt flats along the Adriatic coast. The presence of water is a key element, while in many photographs the human presence blends into the landscape, telling a long history that has unfolded over time—marked by castles, villages, sanctuaries, and roads that bear witness to the need for conservation through protection, knowledge, and enhancement.
The initiative, promoted by the Technical-Scientific Committee for the Revision of the Landscape Plan, began with a contest organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Emilia-Romagna Region; the photographs on display were selected from over two thousand entries submitted by photography enthusiasts. Numerous associations from Emilia-Romagna made significant contributions to the organization, including the Italian Federation of Photographic Associations, the Italian Touring Club, and the CAI.
The exhibition is further enriched by content from Tourer.it, a website dedicated to promoting the cultural heritage of Emilia-Romagna, which features all the photographs and provides useful information for exploring the depicted locations in person.
