Mirabilia

"For every place we seek in the world, there is one in Italy that we haven’t seen yet. It could be the theater of Pietravairano, the unfinished abbey of Venosa, the sacred well of Santa Cristina, the cavern of Sibilla in Cuma, the red lake of Trentino, the megaliths of Argimusco, the Mirabilis cistern, Pilato Lake, the abbey of San Galgano and San Vito in Polignano, Capo Colonna and the Tavole Palatine in Metaponto, the petroglyphs in Val Camonica, the necropolis of Pantalica and the Malatestiana library in Cesena; Italy is never-ending." - Franco Arminio

With the series Mirabilia Silvia Camporesi makes a journey in search of special places, wonders of nature, unusual museums. Her interest in everything that can be defined as irregular and non-canonical leads her to embark on a unique journey, both because of the beauty of these places - mostly most of them off the classic tourist routes, tending not to be easy to reach, little frequented - and for the particular suggestions they offer. While treasures like San Galgano or Villa Adriana in Tivoli may be familiar to us, very few will have heard of the Agostinelli Museum in Dragona, the Damanhur underground temple or the Villa Rossi Park in Santorso.

Guided by the author's gaze, we travel through an Italy that seems out of time, a country of "estranging beauty," where each photograph generates wonder and functions as an opening onto an inner landscape, bringing with it a sense of disorientation and disquiet.

Texts by Franco Arminio, Maria Vittoria Baravelli and a dialogue between Silvia Camporesi and Cesare Pomarici enrich the book.