In the lands of the Parco Agricolo dei Paduli, among ancient olive trees and villages resisting the oblivion of depopulation, Il Paesaggio che sono io (The Landscape That I Am) comes to life — a cultural project promoted by the communities of San Cassiano and Botrugno (LE) and conceived by MADE Program – Academy of Fine Arts “Rosario Gagliardi” of Syracuse.
The project is part of the broader framework of the School of Landscape for Communities and the cultural and social regeneration strategy developed within the Parco dei Paduli, proposing a vision of the landscape as a common good — a living environment and a place of learning.
The project’s two main axes are the exhibition Visioni da Altrove / Visioni dal Futuro (Visions from Elsewhere / Visions from the Future) – hosted at the Byzantine Art Iconographic Museum (MIAB) in San Cassiano – and the film series CineRadicante, held in various venues across Botrugno. Both initiatives stem from research conducted by students of the Master’s Program in Design, NOMAD Program, within the courses Desk Analysis and Fiction Design, led by faculty members, designers, and professionals from the field.
Il Paesaggio che sono io thus takes shape as a cultural and participatory project — a collective exploration of local identity, an exercise in care and imagination, and a system of dialogue between disciplines, territories, and communities. The experiences and contents of the exhibition and film program, gathered in this final publication, contribute to the creation of a permanent documentation center on the rural landscape, helping to build — with deep roots and open perspectives — the possible futures of Salento.
This project was carried out within the framework of the PNRR – M1C3, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of Historic Villages,” as a Local Project for Cultural and Social Regeneration.
Partners
ABITARE I PADULI APS
MANES APS
MAGNOLIA Social Cooperative Society
Initiative promoted by the Municipalities of San Cassiano and Botrugno (LE).
Technical and production support
FOINIKOS S.R.L., San Cassiano (LE)
Tàccaru Project – individual enterprise for the recovery of olive wood by Lapo Pignatelli, Poggiardo (LE)
SG INFISSI S.a.s. di Stincone Graziano & C., Nociglia (LE)
Schizoid Printer, Nociglia (LE)
Graphic design, layout, and exhibition setup by Stigmata Studio.
