Book Chapters by Francesco Visentin
Eulisse Eriberto, Vallerani Francesco, Visentin Francesco (2023). The Waterways of Venice as an 'Extended Museum': New Opportunities for Cultural, Social and Environmental Regeneration of a Forgotten Water Heritage. In: E. Eulisse F. Vallerani F. Visentin. (a cura di): K. M. Wantzen, River Cultur..., 2023
The evolution of the historical waterways of Venice, Italy, is considered from a transdisciplinar... more The evolution of the historical waterways of Venice, Italy, is considered from a transdisciplinary and holistic perspective to analyze and redeem the legacy of forgotten waterscapes and related heritage. Such a cultural and natural legacy reveals some remarkable examples of the Palladian landscape built along inland waterways, rivers, and a fascinating network of channels as 'liquid roads'. The river system dealt with here are watercourses that today flow into the Venice Lagoon (including the Piave, Sile, Zero, Dese, Marzenego, Brenta, Bacchiglione, and Adige rivers), but also the mighty Po River and its tributaries. When investigating the historical linkages between the hydraulic heritage and natural environments, biocultural aspects and aquatic ecosystems appear as an unbreakable unity-in spite of the different approaches to analyze them. The heritage related to Venice's inland waterways will be also explored through the perspective of a 'digital and extended museum' to stimulate multiple plans for a local re-evaluation of water assets and a new groundbreaking holistic vision. Indeed, water museums (both physical and digital museums, as well as eco-museums and institutions that manage built infrastructures and architectures strongly related to water) are key players to bridge past and present water knowledge, educate people, and promote a new culture for sustainable living. This perspective today is formally endorsed by the Resolution XXIII-5 of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP 2018) that aims at improving water awareness education in the frame of Agenda 2030 involving, in particular, water museums. The perspective outlined here influenced the recognition of the above-mentioned resolution to create a global partnership of water museums aimed at re-evaluating and rejuvenating inherited water legacies worldwide. The approach designed to foster sustainable eco-tourism along Venice's inland waterways shows how similar projects aiming to reconnect people to water can be promoted anywhere. Lessons learned from past generations through trial and error approaches in dealing locally with water heritage are today more precious than ever, to educate for sustainable water management in a rapidly changing world and find new solutions that benefit both people and nature.
Gnessulógo. Poesia, paesaggio, territorio , 2022
Lo scritto in questione, a partire da una esperienza personale di vita e di ricerca, vorrebbe pro... more Lo scritto in questione, a partire da una esperienza personale di vita e di ricerca, vorrebbe proporre un ragionamento sul guardare e interpretare il paesaggio grazie alla pratica del camminare.
Un modo di vedere il paesaggio non tanto da “dietro”, com’è invece il caso della prima raccolta poetica di Zanzotto, ma piuttosto da “dentro”. Con “dentro” si vuole intendere un atteggiamento verso la comprensione dei luoghi che privilegi dei sistemi di analisi che si avvalgono di letture in situ, cioè provare ad analizzare quello che vediamo nel preciso luogo e momento in cui lo stiamo osservando; servendosi del “corpo nello spazio” come di un dispositivo attivo per privilegiare delle letture emozionali e personali, grazie ad un atteggiamento fenomenologico.
A partire dal paesaggio come rappresentazione, pittorica o cartografica che sia, e quindi dal reame delle arti visive, il presente contributo scivolerà verso la geografia intesa come “expanding field” e cioè una geografia esperienziale e perfomativa che trova le sue coordinate in due viaggi a piedi che ho fatto lungo i fiumi Brenta e Piave nel 2009 e nel 2010, nei quali alla conoscenza teorica si voleva abbinare quella empirica fatta di azioni “dentro” il paesaggio.
A Research Agenda for Heritage Planning. Perspectives from Europe, 2021
Surface freshwaters system management can be considered as one of the most relevant issues affect... more Surface freshwaters system management can be considered as one of the most relevant issues affecting the quality of lived spaces in the western world. Growing water pollution and consumption, along with the opposing intensity of sudden floods and long-lasting drought, are exacerbated by the remarkable spread of both the urban sprawl phenomenon and the intensification of agribusiness. This leads to irreversible loss of the main support underpinning the basic ecosystems, with special regard to the dynamic of the hydro-geological system.
Oltre la Convenzione. Pensare, studiare, costruire il paesaggio vent’anni dopo, 2021
l paesaggio è un concetto i cui limiti semantici sono perennemente in ‘movimento’. Per questo la ... more l paesaggio è un concetto i cui limiti semantici sono perennemente in ‘movimento’. Per questo la sua definizione/descrizione/immaginazione è contesa, problematica e fluida. Allo stesso tempo, parlare di movimenti nel paesaggio, in relazione alle pratiche di mobilità lenta, ci permette di confrontarci e ripensare al paesaggio ben oltre la fruizione o l’analisi dell’infrastruttura di trasporto ma implica la considerazione delle dimensioni soggettive e percettive (come auspicato dalla CEP) e performative. Nell'introduzione a questa sessione vorremmo esplorare le pratiche di mobilità dolce, sia attraverso riflessioni teoriche che attraverso esperienze empiriche, come strumenti che permettono di approfondire e arricchire il dialogo tra gli studi sul paesaggio e quelli sulle mobilità, anche alla luce del recente ‘mobility turn’.
Dai movimenti dei pendolari nei paesaggi del quotidiano, passando per le pratiche turistiche che attraversano e trasformano i paesaggi, sino ai paesaggi delle migrazioni e dell’incontro tra culture diverse, le mobilità di persone, oggetti ed informazioni pongono di fronte a numerose sfide, concettuali e non solo.
Visentin F. and Bertocchi D. “Venice: An Analysis of Tourism Excesses in an Overtourism Icon”, in Milano C., Cheer J., Novelli M. (eds.), Overtourism: Excesses, discontents and measures in travel and tourism, Wallingford (UK): CABI, pp. 18-38, 2019, 2019
In the poster child of overtourism, social movements against tourism emerged as a reaction to vas... more In the poster child of overtourism, social movements against tourism emerged as a reaction to vastly unsustainable tourist flows that have had a dramatic and transformational impact on the life of Venetians. While Venice's unique geographical position as a historic city, located on an island and surronded by a lagoon, adds to the complexity of how tourism flows are managed effectively, this work offers an approach to measurements are translated into stress indicators associated with characteristics of tourism unsustanability, with implications on the lives of local residents, and serve as a useful tool for understanding the underlying causes of anti-tourism and as warning signs in benchmarking overtourism in other destinations.
The relationship between tourism, education, and the adoption of an environmental ethic was a rel... more The relationship between tourism, education, and the adoption of an environmental ethic was a relatively under-researched field for a long time. Fortunately, scholars recently have examined the positive impact of ecotourism on tourists’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours, resulting in a significant body of work on the benefits of travel for informal education or free-choice learning. An increasing number of studies empirically demonstrate the cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes
of ecotourism practices. This academic endeavor has resulted in fruitful insights on the (long-term) positive impact of ecotourism practices. However, few studies have closely examined the mechanisms that have made a profound impact on such outcomes. As a result, the academic debate on the nexus of education, ecotourism, and sustainability outcomes remains relatively under-explored – especially the effects of new technologies and communication platforms in support of free-choice
educational ecotourism practices. Accordingly, this paper provides a discussion of how geo-based technology can help develop respect and appreciation for ecological sustainability and foster knowledge acquisition from the ecological landscape through free-choice learning.
We demonstrate how geo-based technology is utilised for the JPI Heritage EUWATHER project. EUWATHER aims to promote knowledge and rehabilitation concerning the unique cultural heritage of minor waterways and historic canals in four European pilot regions. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (project leader), University of Leiden, Frei University of Amsterdam, University of Girona, and the University of Brighton participated in this study The project aimed to bring together people (locals and tourists, stakeholders, the public sector, etc.) to generate a body of data that can
reveal the cultural and artistic heritage of minor waterways to create a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and interactive maps, while exploring ways to communicate this heritage to a range of audiences. The overall objective was to develop new opportunities for eco-tourism and outdoor recreation as a driver for sustainable development, together with better management and planning of secondary waterway networks.
Gaston Bachelard, in his book L’Eau et les Rêves , with regards to ‘freshwater as source of life’... more Gaston Bachelard, in his book L’Eau et les Rêves , with regards to ‘freshwater as source of life’ when talking about the difference between seawater and freshwater, wondered ‘How could we conceive of purity without the image of clear and limpid water, without this beautiful pleonasm that speaks to us of pure water [drinkable?]? Water draws to itself all images of purity’ (Bachelard, 1983, p. 14).
Bachelard compared, from a geo-poetic point of view, the freshwater coming from the river to the salty water coming from the sea; he considered the latter inhuman,and he even entitled the chapter ‘The Supremacy of Fresh Water’ ( Bachelard, 1983 , p. 151–159). The French philosopher and poet praised fl owing water, the meandering dimension of fresh water and the oniric and cultural dimension of waterscapes, focusing on the power that forces the idea of liquidity and fl owing into the mind in contrast to the fi xed surrounding space. The concept of liquidity was used metaphorically by Zygmunt Bauman (2000 ) for unpacking the modern
human condition in its application to the form of life currently practiced, and some years later liquidity was also used by Swyngedouw (2015 ) in his book Liquid Power for explaining modernity through the study of water as a geographical and environmental project involved with the production of new geographies and new ‘natures’ in the Spanish context.
It is indeed fundamental to consider the complex layers of waterscapes from different perspectives, but we argue that inland waterways could be better investigated as cultural ecosystem services, especially in relationship to the concepts of landscape and heritage ( Tengberg et al., 2012 ). Human cultures are strongly influenced by ecosystems; ecosystem changes can signifi cantly impact cultural identity and social stability. In this context, it is useful to take into consideration the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) as an infl uential document that recognised how human cultures, knowledge systems, religions, heritage values, social interactions and associated amenity services have always been infl uenced and shaped by the nature of ecosystems and ecosystem conditions on which culture is based. At the same time, people have always infl uenced and shaped the environment to enhance the availability of certain valued services. In the context of waterscapes, to gather the evolutionary dynamics adopted by humans (depending on knowledge and social context) in different water contexts could help us understand the practical choices of a profi table coexistence with a specifi c environment
where the hydrosphere prevails ( Cosgrove and Petts, 1990 )
The emergence of Europe as a world power cannot be appreciated without recognition of the critica... more The emergence of Europe as a world power cannot be appreciated without recognition of the critical role played by its rivers and historic canals in industry, trade and nation building ( Hassan, 2010 ). Characterised by their intrinsic complexity, the European waterways go back at least to the middle ages. They were developed further during the Renaissance and reached their maturity during the industrial era, when rivers were radically transformed and new canals built to optimise water transport networks. In this process, the waterways became a symbol of the modern nation-state ( Cosgrove and Petts, 1990 ; Swyngedouw, 2015 ).
The material heritage of the waterways includes signifi cant historical evidence extending from England to Germany, from Belgium to France, from Italy to Spain, from the Balkans to Russia, and including both major and minor (and today frequently forgotten) assets and navigable systems. The usefulness of the waterways to a vast range of human activities generated a unique set of intangible values, together with the water landscapes – or waterscapes – which most often are no longer perceived as a special kind of heritage, and are, therefore, in danger of disappearing. However, such a loss would involve the diminution of specific features that give identity to the European landscape.
This is also true of the complex historic waterway system managed by the Venice Republic – or Serenissima – from the middle ages until 1797, as will be highlighted in this chapter. The dominant position of Venice on the Mediterranean maritime routes is well known, but the waterway system that enabled Venice to support inland navigation for trade and war purposes seems largely forgotten. Venice’s inland waterway system is totally under-investigated in scientifi c literature, with the only exception being a few rural and cultural landscape studies (Cosgrove, 1984 and 1993; Ciriacono, 2006).
In the last decade, there has been growing interest in tourism studies related to rivers and historic canals. The multifaceted value inherent in waterways – historical, cultural, social and environmental – has prompted increasing interest in the study of canals and canal tourism, especially from a management and marketing perspective (Shipley, 1999; Fyall, Oakley and Weiss, 2000 ; Monahan and Spencer, 2004 ; Prideaux and Cooper, 2009 ; Tang and Jang, 2010 ; Coles, Millman and Flannigan, 2013 ; Vallerani, 2013 ; Bowles, 2014 ; Chang, 2015 ; Kaaristo and Rhoden, 2016).
In this chapter, following a research perspective outlined already ( Buhalis,
2003 ; Pease, Rowe and Cooper, 2007 ), we will focus on the geo-historical context of Venice’s inland canal heritage and explore the possibilities provided by the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to its water heritage in marginal areas for tourist and leisure purposes. By the use of ICTs, we are referring not only to the digitisation of all processes in the tourism, travel and hospitality industries but also to the possibilities offered by the use of different tools to enhance local awareness of their hidden heritage. The aim of this would be to foster, at a later stage, sustainable tourism in areas currently not reached by the tourist flows.
Waterways and the Cultural Landscape, Routledge, 2017
Negli ultimi anni, il numero crescente di utenti di smartphone e tablet, di tutte le fasce d’età,... more Negli ultimi anni, il numero crescente di utenti di smartphone e tablet, di tutte le fasce d’età, e la vasta gamma di applicazioni che vengono ogni giorno prodotte, hanno di fatto alterato il nostro attuale rapporto con il viaggio, la sua esperienza, la sua comprensione, l’orientamento e l’organizzazione (Dickson et al. 2012). Non è un mistero che l’utilizzo di mappe interattive, banche dati, informazioni abbiano trasformato le nostre abitudini, l’atteggiamento attraverso il quale ci rapportiamo con lo spazio e i luoghi, i rapporti che intratteniamo con le persone che incontriamo durante un viaggio (Wang, Park, Fesenmaier 2012). Questo contributo, partendo dall’analisi di tre applicazioni prodotte dall’Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia all’interno del progetto ‘Exploring Rivers’, esplora i meccanismi di mediazioni, le opportunità, le potenzialità e rischi che intercorrono nella produzione e nell’utilizzazione di specifiche applicazioni dedicate al turismo rurale lungo le vie d’acqua. Le implicazioni di questi risultati possono fornirci importanti informazioni per affrontare le sfide emergenti che ci impongono le nuove tecnologie.
The current landscape of the Baix Ter is the result of a network of miller and irrigation canals ... more The current landscape of the Baix Ter is the result of a network of miller and irrigation canals dating back to the Middle Ages. The water flowing through these channels acquires a new value in use which is economic, ecological and social at the same time. However, the recent carrying out of the piping and underground works of traditional irrigation from 2008, with the aim of improving efficiency in water use, has triggered an interesting social debate about what we want and what we can conserve of these traditional irrigation landscapes and, in the event that an agreement is reached, how we manage it and who will do it. The proposed paper tries to analyze the dynamics and challenges of present and of future which it must face the irrigation in the area. In this regard we will pay a particular attention to the multifunctional role that traditional canals can carry out, either from the point of view of production, environment, heritage, tourism, quality of life, etc. The attention will be fixed in how it has evolved the management of the canals across the time too. Complementary will be described some influences that can exercise in the matter on that subject new tools of sectorial policies and legislation as water or landscape.
Il Veneto è una terra di acque, segnata e solcata da una complessa rete idrografica. Alcuni grand... more Il Veneto è una terra di acque, segnata e solcata da una complessa rete idrografica. Alcuni grandi fiumi, come il Piave, il Brenta e l’Adige incarnano l’immaginario simbolico, storico e sociale di questa terra; molti altri, considerati minori, contribuiscono a creare la fitta maglia che permette all’articolato sistema idraulico di sostenersi e al cosiddetto “paesaggio palladiano” di concretizzarsi. Tra questi possiamo annoverare il fiume Zero. Partendo da un’analisi geo-storica, il presente contributo cercherà di collocare il corso di questo fiume sorgivo all’interno del sistema paesaggistico attraverso l’indagine di alcune peculiarità rivierasche, evidenziando alcune proposte riguardanti la Convenzione Europea del Paesaggio e i Contratti di Fiume per avviare una terapia urbanistica a partire dalla maglia idrografica.
Camminate tanto da poter distinguere i particolari, tanto che nella confusione si rivelino le lin... more Camminate tanto da poter distinguere i particolari, tanto che nella confusione si rivelino le linee di fuga, tanto piano che il mondo vi appartenga di nuovo, tanto piano che appaia chiaro come il mondo non vi appartiene 1 .
Papers by Francesco Visentin
The Geographical Journal, Feb 21, 2024
Humans and water have a complex relationship that includes various dimen-sions such as ... more Humans and water have a complex relationship that includes various dimen-sions such as sociocultural, political, legal and ecological. Considering the ubiq-uity of water, we need a more holistic perspective to help us see water not as a static entity but rather as one in constant movement, physically and conceptually; acknowledging the interplay between water and humans is essential to under-standing societal narratives deeply embedded in places. In this special section, an interdisciplinary group of scholars explore inland waters, taking a water- centric view instead of a land- centric one. The special section delves into the emerging hydro- social connections, diverse forms of expertise, governance models, col-lective and spontaneous actions, and resilience strategies within the context of inland water bodies, exploring how canals, rivers and wetlands are experienced and represented as places. The papers in this collection show that any form of placemaking should take responsible stewardship of water, embrace its dynamic nature, and present a realistic pathway towards sustainable solutions for present and future water challenges.
cultural geographies, 2022
This article extends our understanding of inland waterways by theorising the temporary absences o... more This article extends our understanding of inland waterways by theorising the temporary absences of water in canals and rivers as possibilities for action, that is, affordances. The interplay of temporary absence and presence of water in the inland waterways provides a range of potentialities for various activities and practices. Affordance theory can help us to further theorise material absences and position them as important elements of performing, practicing and interpreting place. We show how temporary absence of water can create spatial, historical and communicative affordances, affording the movement of boats, revealing and recreating the past and raising environmental awareness. The paper is based on semi-ethnographic research on the rivers and canals in the United Kingdom and Italy, featuring document analysis, participant observation and semi-structured interviews with various waterway users.
River contracts (RCs) are voluntary agreements between stakeholders for managing water bodies and... more River contracts (RCs) are voluntary agreements between stakeholders for managing water bodies and involve participatory, evidence-based action plans. Increasingly, European authorities recognise that effective water policies require bottom-up, inclusive decision-making. Despite widely held assumptions about the benefits of including stakeholders in river basin management and encouraging participatory mechanisms of decision-making, the growing rhetoric about the need for public engagement implies that this “new” paradigm of water management remains filled with ambiguities. Adopting ethnographic methods and drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, this paper analyses three RCs in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy. These case studies reveal the potential for RCs as tools not only for water management, but also for increasing stakeholder involvement through place-making activities conceived as potential hydrophilic encounters. In order to understand whether RCs contribute to a fluvial sense of place, we looked at the effects of top-down versus participatory pro- cesses. We asked whether RCs were considered participatory processes designed to achieve a co-designed outcome or simply territorial management projects that objectify the river as something to be developed. We found that ratifying an RC was not, in itself, proof of an effective process; rather the nature and quality of an RC was determined by the degree and type of participation. We contend that participatory events and sharing information are not sufficient in themselves to achieve the active involvement of all stakeholders. We argue that the best framework for enabling place-making and enhancing a sense of place is to develop RCs within a process that includes a high degree of participation. This enables citizens to shift from simply being passive recipients of plans to becoming effective territorial actors.
Multiverso, n. 17, "Impronta", 2022
I segni ‘del’ e ‘sul’ territorio sono molteplici: possono essere volontari, frutto del tempo e de... more I segni ‘del’ e ‘sul’ territorio sono molteplici: possono essere volontari, frutto del tempo e del lavorio dell’uomo, o causati dall’azione della natura, possono essere inconsapevoli e involontari, possono avere un significato e un autore, oppure, allo stesso tempo, essere anonimi o quantomeno sembrarci tali.
A renderli intellegibili è la capacità di comprenderne il significato, altrimenti verrebbero ignorati non perché un significato non ce l’hanno, ma per mancata cognizione. Nel caso specifico, vorrei riflettere sul camminare non tanto quanto capacità motoria e ancestrale di locomozione, ma quanto mezzo per ‘leggere’ le impronte del paesaggio: uno strumento a disposizione nella cassetta degli attrezzi del geografo e, più in generale, di ognuno di noi. Può essere scontato ricordare quale importanza abbia da sempre ricoperto il lavoro sul campo per molte discipline, dall’antropologia alla sociologia, ma con il suo stare nel paesaggio il geografo si avvicina e ‘sente’ il territorio nelle sue sfumature, ne capisce le pieghe, osserva i margini, abbraccia i paesaggi dello ‘scarto’.
Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana, 14, 4(2): 3-18, 2021
During the last decades, the active participation of the inhabitants in the
interpretation, manag... more During the last decades, the active participation of the inhabitants in the
interpretation, management and planning of landscape has assumed an increasingly important role, thanks to the challenges and understandings provided by the European Landscape Convention which advocated the participation and enhanced the role of the populations as fundamental sources of information. Despite the difficulties linked to the valorization of such assets, the comparison between expert and public views can favour the production of new knowledge as long as these information and sources could be compared and connected through fruitful approaches. The present contribution finds his roots in the development of Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Landscape Plan and, adopting a participatory approach, tried to investigate the perceived landscapes of risk and degradation. The focus is on three categories of areas and sites perceived as degraded, specifically those resulting from the massive presence of abandonment former military areas, hydrogeological problems and, finally, quarry activities. After presenting the most relevant aspects and the results of the geo-cartographic analysis, the limits and opportunities of the research are highlighted. On the one hand, similarly to other participatory projects, the analysis presents problems in terms of quality and territorial coverage, on the other hand, it offers reflections on the possible synergies between local and expert knowledge.
Shima V.15 (1). Special Issue on Venice and its Lagoon, 2021
This article focuses on the story of the proposed privatisation of Poveglia, a small uninhabited ... more This article focuses on the story of the proposed privatisation of Poveglia, a small uninhabited island in the Venetian Lagoon. In March 2014 the Italian State Property Office announced that a 99-year lease on Poveglia would be offered for sale in an online auction. The reaction of some citizens led to the formation of the association Poveglia per Tutti (Poveglia for Everyone), whose activists and supporters wanted the island to be preserved as a public space and blocked the acquisition. The article firstly frames Poveglia in the processes that are particular to the small islands of the Venetian Lagoon, from abandonment to tourism-related 'land grabbing', and then contextualises the story of this minor island in a more general discussion regarding broader 'right to the island' narratives and practices with reference to some other European cases. Finally, the article presents the results of a an ethnographically informed analysis of the association Poveglia per Tutti to discuss the capacity and potentialities of some small islands-as separate, limited, and identifiable spaces-to be part of territorialisation processes dealing with active citizenship, resistance to tourist monoculture and the usability of public space. In this way, Poveglia becomes a synecdoche for the whole of Venice and its lagoon, 'condensing', at the same time, local and global dynamics.
Shima V.15 (1). Special Issue on Venice and its Lagoon, 2021
The natural and human ensemble of Venice and its lagoon, with its peculiar
island features, is am... more The natural and human ensemble of Venice and its lagoon, with its peculiar
island features, is among one of the most studied urban and environmental systems in the world. This introduction to Shima’s special issue on Venice and its lagoon provides a brief historical and environmental context to this space and a possible platform whereby the local complexity and liminality of wetlands, lagoons and islands gesture to and evoke global themes, conceptual views, and transdisciplinary opportunities. Focusing on key topics like the theatricality of water engineering, the understanding of water rhythms and the recovery of water memories, we introduce the articles presented herein, providing a geo-historical framework for the various interpretations of living, narrating and representing Venice and its lagoon.
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Book Chapters by Francesco Visentin
Un modo di vedere il paesaggio non tanto da “dietro”, com’è invece il caso della prima raccolta poetica di Zanzotto, ma piuttosto da “dentro”. Con “dentro” si vuole intendere un atteggiamento verso la comprensione dei luoghi che privilegi dei sistemi di analisi che si avvalgono di letture in situ, cioè provare ad analizzare quello che vediamo nel preciso luogo e momento in cui lo stiamo osservando; servendosi del “corpo nello spazio” come di un dispositivo attivo per privilegiare delle letture emozionali e personali, grazie ad un atteggiamento fenomenologico.
A partire dal paesaggio come rappresentazione, pittorica o cartografica che sia, e quindi dal reame delle arti visive, il presente contributo scivolerà verso la geografia intesa come “expanding field” e cioè una geografia esperienziale e perfomativa che trova le sue coordinate in due viaggi a piedi che ho fatto lungo i fiumi Brenta e Piave nel 2009 e nel 2010, nei quali alla conoscenza teorica si voleva abbinare quella empirica fatta di azioni “dentro” il paesaggio.
Dai movimenti dei pendolari nei paesaggi del quotidiano, passando per le pratiche turistiche che attraversano e trasformano i paesaggi, sino ai paesaggi delle migrazioni e dell’incontro tra culture diverse, le mobilità di persone, oggetti ed informazioni pongono di fronte a numerose sfide, concettuali e non solo.
of ecotourism practices. This academic endeavor has resulted in fruitful insights on the (long-term) positive impact of ecotourism practices. However, few studies have closely examined the mechanisms that have made a profound impact on such outcomes. As a result, the academic debate on the nexus of education, ecotourism, and sustainability outcomes remains relatively under-explored – especially the effects of new technologies and communication platforms in support of free-choice
educational ecotourism practices. Accordingly, this paper provides a discussion of how geo-based technology can help develop respect and appreciation for ecological sustainability and foster knowledge acquisition from the ecological landscape through free-choice learning.
We demonstrate how geo-based technology is utilised for the JPI Heritage EUWATHER project. EUWATHER aims to promote knowledge and rehabilitation concerning the unique cultural heritage of minor waterways and historic canals in four European pilot regions. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (project leader), University of Leiden, Frei University of Amsterdam, University of Girona, and the University of Brighton participated in this study The project aimed to bring together people (locals and tourists, stakeholders, the public sector, etc.) to generate a body of data that can
reveal the cultural and artistic heritage of minor waterways to create a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and interactive maps, while exploring ways to communicate this heritage to a range of audiences. The overall objective was to develop new opportunities for eco-tourism and outdoor recreation as a driver for sustainable development, together with better management and planning of secondary waterway networks.
Bachelard compared, from a geo-poetic point of view, the freshwater coming from the river to the salty water coming from the sea; he considered the latter inhuman,and he even entitled the chapter ‘The Supremacy of Fresh Water’ ( Bachelard, 1983 , p. 151–159). The French philosopher and poet praised fl owing water, the meandering dimension of fresh water and the oniric and cultural dimension of waterscapes, focusing on the power that forces the idea of liquidity and fl owing into the mind in contrast to the fi xed surrounding space. The concept of liquidity was used metaphorically by Zygmunt Bauman (2000 ) for unpacking the modern
human condition in its application to the form of life currently practiced, and some years later liquidity was also used by Swyngedouw (2015 ) in his book Liquid Power for explaining modernity through the study of water as a geographical and environmental project involved with the production of new geographies and new ‘natures’ in the Spanish context.
It is indeed fundamental to consider the complex layers of waterscapes from different perspectives, but we argue that inland waterways could be better investigated as cultural ecosystem services, especially in relationship to the concepts of landscape and heritage ( Tengberg et al., 2012 ). Human cultures are strongly influenced by ecosystems; ecosystem changes can signifi cantly impact cultural identity and social stability. In this context, it is useful to take into consideration the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) as an infl uential document that recognised how human cultures, knowledge systems, religions, heritage values, social interactions and associated amenity services have always been infl uenced and shaped by the nature of ecosystems and ecosystem conditions on which culture is based. At the same time, people have always infl uenced and shaped the environment to enhance the availability of certain valued services. In the context of waterscapes, to gather the evolutionary dynamics adopted by humans (depending on knowledge and social context) in different water contexts could help us understand the practical choices of a profi table coexistence with a specifi c environment
where the hydrosphere prevails ( Cosgrove and Petts, 1990 )
The material heritage of the waterways includes signifi cant historical evidence extending from England to Germany, from Belgium to France, from Italy to Spain, from the Balkans to Russia, and including both major and minor (and today frequently forgotten) assets and navigable systems. The usefulness of the waterways to a vast range of human activities generated a unique set of intangible values, together with the water landscapes – or waterscapes – which most often are no longer perceived as a special kind of heritage, and are, therefore, in danger of disappearing. However, such a loss would involve the diminution of specific features that give identity to the European landscape.
This is also true of the complex historic waterway system managed by the Venice Republic – or Serenissima – from the middle ages until 1797, as will be highlighted in this chapter. The dominant position of Venice on the Mediterranean maritime routes is well known, but the waterway system that enabled Venice to support inland navigation for trade and war purposes seems largely forgotten. Venice’s inland waterway system is totally under-investigated in scientifi c literature, with the only exception being a few rural and cultural landscape studies (Cosgrove, 1984 and 1993; Ciriacono, 2006).
In the last decade, there has been growing interest in tourism studies related to rivers and historic canals. The multifaceted value inherent in waterways – historical, cultural, social and environmental – has prompted increasing interest in the study of canals and canal tourism, especially from a management and marketing perspective (Shipley, 1999; Fyall, Oakley and Weiss, 2000 ; Monahan and Spencer, 2004 ; Prideaux and Cooper, 2009 ; Tang and Jang, 2010 ; Coles, Millman and Flannigan, 2013 ; Vallerani, 2013 ; Bowles, 2014 ; Chang, 2015 ; Kaaristo and Rhoden, 2016).
In this chapter, following a research perspective outlined already ( Buhalis,
2003 ; Pease, Rowe and Cooper, 2007 ), we will focus on the geo-historical context of Venice’s inland canal heritage and explore the possibilities provided by the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to its water heritage in marginal areas for tourist and leisure purposes. By the use of ICTs, we are referring not only to the digitisation of all processes in the tourism, travel and hospitality industries but also to the possibilities offered by the use of different tools to enhance local awareness of their hidden heritage. The aim of this would be to foster, at a later stage, sustainable tourism in areas currently not reached by the tourist flows.
Papers by Francesco Visentin
A renderli intellegibili è la capacità di comprenderne il significato, altrimenti verrebbero ignorati non perché un significato non ce l’hanno, ma per mancata cognizione. Nel caso specifico, vorrei riflettere sul camminare non tanto quanto capacità motoria e ancestrale di locomozione, ma quanto mezzo per ‘leggere’ le impronte del paesaggio: uno strumento a disposizione nella cassetta degli attrezzi del geografo e, più in generale, di ognuno di noi. Può essere scontato ricordare quale importanza abbia da sempre ricoperto il lavoro sul campo per molte discipline, dall’antropologia alla sociologia, ma con il suo stare nel paesaggio il geografo si avvicina e ‘sente’ il territorio nelle sue sfumature, ne capisce le pieghe, osserva i margini, abbraccia i paesaggi dello ‘scarto’.
interpretation, management and planning of landscape has assumed an increasingly important role, thanks to the challenges and understandings provided by the European Landscape Convention which advocated the participation and enhanced the role of the populations as fundamental sources of information. Despite the difficulties linked to the valorization of such assets, the comparison between expert and public views can favour the production of new knowledge as long as these information and sources could be compared and connected through fruitful approaches. The present contribution finds his roots in the development of Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Landscape Plan and, adopting a participatory approach, tried to investigate the perceived landscapes of risk and degradation. The focus is on three categories of areas and sites perceived as degraded, specifically those resulting from the massive presence of abandonment former military areas, hydrogeological problems and, finally, quarry activities. After presenting the most relevant aspects and the results of the geo-cartographic analysis, the limits and opportunities of the research are highlighted. On the one hand, similarly to other participatory projects, the analysis presents problems in terms of quality and territorial coverage, on the other hand, it offers reflections on the possible synergies between local and expert knowledge.
island features, is among one of the most studied urban and environmental systems in the world. This introduction to Shima’s special issue on Venice and its lagoon provides a brief historical and environmental context to this space and a possible platform whereby the local complexity and liminality of wetlands, lagoons and islands gesture to and evoke global themes, conceptual views, and transdisciplinary opportunities. Focusing on key topics like the theatricality of water engineering, the understanding of water rhythms and the recovery of water memories, we introduce the articles presented herein, providing a geo-historical framework for the various interpretations of living, narrating and representing Venice and its lagoon.
Un modo di vedere il paesaggio non tanto da “dietro”, com’è invece il caso della prima raccolta poetica di Zanzotto, ma piuttosto da “dentro”. Con “dentro” si vuole intendere un atteggiamento verso la comprensione dei luoghi che privilegi dei sistemi di analisi che si avvalgono di letture in situ, cioè provare ad analizzare quello che vediamo nel preciso luogo e momento in cui lo stiamo osservando; servendosi del “corpo nello spazio” come di un dispositivo attivo per privilegiare delle letture emozionali e personali, grazie ad un atteggiamento fenomenologico.
A partire dal paesaggio come rappresentazione, pittorica o cartografica che sia, e quindi dal reame delle arti visive, il presente contributo scivolerà verso la geografia intesa come “expanding field” e cioè una geografia esperienziale e perfomativa che trova le sue coordinate in due viaggi a piedi che ho fatto lungo i fiumi Brenta e Piave nel 2009 e nel 2010, nei quali alla conoscenza teorica si voleva abbinare quella empirica fatta di azioni “dentro” il paesaggio.
Dai movimenti dei pendolari nei paesaggi del quotidiano, passando per le pratiche turistiche che attraversano e trasformano i paesaggi, sino ai paesaggi delle migrazioni e dell’incontro tra culture diverse, le mobilità di persone, oggetti ed informazioni pongono di fronte a numerose sfide, concettuali e non solo.
of ecotourism practices. This academic endeavor has resulted in fruitful insights on the (long-term) positive impact of ecotourism practices. However, few studies have closely examined the mechanisms that have made a profound impact on such outcomes. As a result, the academic debate on the nexus of education, ecotourism, and sustainability outcomes remains relatively under-explored – especially the effects of new technologies and communication platforms in support of free-choice
educational ecotourism practices. Accordingly, this paper provides a discussion of how geo-based technology can help develop respect and appreciation for ecological sustainability and foster knowledge acquisition from the ecological landscape through free-choice learning.
We demonstrate how geo-based technology is utilised for the JPI Heritage EUWATHER project. EUWATHER aims to promote knowledge and rehabilitation concerning the unique cultural heritage of minor waterways and historic canals in four European pilot regions. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (project leader), University of Leiden, Frei University of Amsterdam, University of Girona, and the University of Brighton participated in this study The project aimed to bring together people (locals and tourists, stakeholders, the public sector, etc.) to generate a body of data that can
reveal the cultural and artistic heritage of minor waterways to create a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and interactive maps, while exploring ways to communicate this heritage to a range of audiences. The overall objective was to develop new opportunities for eco-tourism and outdoor recreation as a driver for sustainable development, together with better management and planning of secondary waterway networks.
Bachelard compared, from a geo-poetic point of view, the freshwater coming from the river to the salty water coming from the sea; he considered the latter inhuman,and he even entitled the chapter ‘The Supremacy of Fresh Water’ ( Bachelard, 1983 , p. 151–159). The French philosopher and poet praised fl owing water, the meandering dimension of fresh water and the oniric and cultural dimension of waterscapes, focusing on the power that forces the idea of liquidity and fl owing into the mind in contrast to the fi xed surrounding space. The concept of liquidity was used metaphorically by Zygmunt Bauman (2000 ) for unpacking the modern
human condition in its application to the form of life currently practiced, and some years later liquidity was also used by Swyngedouw (2015 ) in his book Liquid Power for explaining modernity through the study of water as a geographical and environmental project involved with the production of new geographies and new ‘natures’ in the Spanish context.
It is indeed fundamental to consider the complex layers of waterscapes from different perspectives, but we argue that inland waterways could be better investigated as cultural ecosystem services, especially in relationship to the concepts of landscape and heritage ( Tengberg et al., 2012 ). Human cultures are strongly influenced by ecosystems; ecosystem changes can signifi cantly impact cultural identity and social stability. In this context, it is useful to take into consideration the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) as an infl uential document that recognised how human cultures, knowledge systems, religions, heritage values, social interactions and associated amenity services have always been infl uenced and shaped by the nature of ecosystems and ecosystem conditions on which culture is based. At the same time, people have always infl uenced and shaped the environment to enhance the availability of certain valued services. In the context of waterscapes, to gather the evolutionary dynamics adopted by humans (depending on knowledge and social context) in different water contexts could help us understand the practical choices of a profi table coexistence with a specifi c environment
where the hydrosphere prevails ( Cosgrove and Petts, 1990 )
The material heritage of the waterways includes signifi cant historical evidence extending from England to Germany, from Belgium to France, from Italy to Spain, from the Balkans to Russia, and including both major and minor (and today frequently forgotten) assets and navigable systems. The usefulness of the waterways to a vast range of human activities generated a unique set of intangible values, together with the water landscapes – or waterscapes – which most often are no longer perceived as a special kind of heritage, and are, therefore, in danger of disappearing. However, such a loss would involve the diminution of specific features that give identity to the European landscape.
This is also true of the complex historic waterway system managed by the Venice Republic – or Serenissima – from the middle ages until 1797, as will be highlighted in this chapter. The dominant position of Venice on the Mediterranean maritime routes is well known, but the waterway system that enabled Venice to support inland navigation for trade and war purposes seems largely forgotten. Venice’s inland waterway system is totally under-investigated in scientifi c literature, with the only exception being a few rural and cultural landscape studies (Cosgrove, 1984 and 1993; Ciriacono, 2006).
In the last decade, there has been growing interest in tourism studies related to rivers and historic canals. The multifaceted value inherent in waterways – historical, cultural, social and environmental – has prompted increasing interest in the study of canals and canal tourism, especially from a management and marketing perspective (Shipley, 1999; Fyall, Oakley and Weiss, 2000 ; Monahan and Spencer, 2004 ; Prideaux and Cooper, 2009 ; Tang and Jang, 2010 ; Coles, Millman and Flannigan, 2013 ; Vallerani, 2013 ; Bowles, 2014 ; Chang, 2015 ; Kaaristo and Rhoden, 2016).
In this chapter, following a research perspective outlined already ( Buhalis,
2003 ; Pease, Rowe and Cooper, 2007 ), we will focus on the geo-historical context of Venice’s inland canal heritage and explore the possibilities provided by the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to its water heritage in marginal areas for tourist and leisure purposes. By the use of ICTs, we are referring not only to the digitisation of all processes in the tourism, travel and hospitality industries but also to the possibilities offered by the use of different tools to enhance local awareness of their hidden heritage. The aim of this would be to foster, at a later stage, sustainable tourism in areas currently not reached by the tourist flows.
A renderli intellegibili è la capacità di comprenderne il significato, altrimenti verrebbero ignorati non perché un significato non ce l’hanno, ma per mancata cognizione. Nel caso specifico, vorrei riflettere sul camminare non tanto quanto capacità motoria e ancestrale di locomozione, ma quanto mezzo per ‘leggere’ le impronte del paesaggio: uno strumento a disposizione nella cassetta degli attrezzi del geografo e, più in generale, di ognuno di noi. Può essere scontato ricordare quale importanza abbia da sempre ricoperto il lavoro sul campo per molte discipline, dall’antropologia alla sociologia, ma con il suo stare nel paesaggio il geografo si avvicina e ‘sente’ il territorio nelle sue sfumature, ne capisce le pieghe, osserva i margini, abbraccia i paesaggi dello ‘scarto’.
interpretation, management and planning of landscape has assumed an increasingly important role, thanks to the challenges and understandings provided by the European Landscape Convention which advocated the participation and enhanced the role of the populations as fundamental sources of information. Despite the difficulties linked to the valorization of such assets, the comparison between expert and public views can favour the production of new knowledge as long as these information and sources could be compared and connected through fruitful approaches. The present contribution finds his roots in the development of Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Landscape Plan and, adopting a participatory approach, tried to investigate the perceived landscapes of risk and degradation. The focus is on three categories of areas and sites perceived as degraded, specifically those resulting from the massive presence of abandonment former military areas, hydrogeological problems and, finally, quarry activities. After presenting the most relevant aspects and the results of the geo-cartographic analysis, the limits and opportunities of the research are highlighted. On the one hand, similarly to other participatory projects, the analysis presents problems in terms of quality and territorial coverage, on the other hand, it offers reflections on the possible synergies between local and expert knowledge.
island features, is among one of the most studied urban and environmental systems in the world. This introduction to Shima’s special issue on Venice and its lagoon provides a brief historical and environmental context to this space and a possible platform whereby the local complexity and liminality of wetlands, lagoons and islands gesture to and evoke global themes, conceptual views, and transdisciplinary opportunities. Focusing on key topics like the theatricality of water engineering, the understanding of water rhythms and the recovery of water memories, we introduce the articles presented herein, providing a geo-historical framework for the various interpretations of living, narrating and representing Venice and its lagoon.
Focusing on the Italian case study, composed by three pilot areas between small canals and rivers, it will be presented how the representations of histories and memories have a significant impact on the sense of place and identity of a group of canal community. It will be take into account a series of questionnaires distributed during a number of local workshops with the canal communities and several interviews made with different local people interested in inland waterways history. Through this approach we would like to underline the potentiality of small stories and non-official “knowledges”
in leading the complex relationship from a past water-culture related to navigation to an active future for the Italian canals networks. Being aware that the values are given to heritage both through a top-down and bottom-up processes, we would like to stress the “productive” and “living” disposition of small-stories. These stories can help us to re-imagining new possibilities/potentialities in order to demonstrate public value worthy of investment both at social-local and economic-government level.
We concentrated our analysis on the DOCG area, a complex space where several forces need to coexist; the productive drive of growing requests (global and local) of Prosecco, as well as rural representation based on local habits and a concrete hilly landscape. Rural tourism is clearly an important sector in terms of revenue and employment, especially for local communities, and it can help to ensure economic stability; however, doing so in a way that benefits the area and the landscape is not so straightforward. There are potential problems in facilitating increased urbanization, such as the standardization of landscape and damage to the area if plans are mismanaged. In the case of best practices, a desirable model of tourism can be tapped into while helping rural regions take advantage of more sustainable tourism development and landscape management.
In particular, this article examines the emergence of two company towns established during the same period but in two distinct geographical contexts: Piazzola sul Brenta in the Veneto (Italy) and Borgonyà in Catalonia (Spain). While development of these two company towns relied on the same ideals of social and technological progress, the visions of their respective companies, their locations and broader topographical circumstances differed significantly. These new towns are examined through key factors reflecting their owners’ and planners’ faith in social and technological progress, such as the harnessing of water power, the construction of railways and moral paternalism. These features are analysed by reflecting on the meaning of space in specific contexts. Piazzola sul Brenta and Borgonyà were experimental spaces that their designers and owners used to achieve ephemeral social, political and cultural goals, allowing me to examine both the ways and the spaces in which knowledge and ideas were received, and how different types of
knowledge and ideas were transformed and realized.
The AIIG National Workshop represents an opportunity for discussion and experimentation. The edition of Padua (9th-11th May 2014) has placed at the center of the debate the limit, a theme that has always been dear to the
geographers because rich in sparks and always new possible interpretations. This article presents the event held in Padua, it introduces the contents and offers some concluding thoughts on the experience.
trying to give an operative support to landscape management. In particular this study will debate the problem of the definition and the lack of a common legislative direction, which at the moment has created the most of problems with the correct activation of these supporting instruments and the application of the European Landscape Convention. The most significant cases about the regions of Piemonte, Puglia and Veneto will be analyzed. The comparison between different local Observatories has been performed (by) analyzing the basic theoretical conditions, the operative choices and the social attitudes that emerged towards the Landscape asset, the territory and the inhabitants. Finally it has been highlighted how these landscape management efforts, if interconnected and linked with
other experiences, could begin a new way of understanding the administration, the development and the transformations of the territory.
come le geografie d’acqua possano essere identificate sia come “fasce di conflittualità” che come “laboratori concettuali e politici” in cui individuare le dinamiche più generali che caratterizzano contesti territoriali a diversa
scala. Nell’ampio palinsesto di cambiamenti climatici, sociali, culturali, spaziali o politici, l’acqua rappresenta una possibile lente attraverso la quale studiare l’instabilità e la policronicità dei territori e dei suoi abitanti (umani e
non). Proprio per questo diventa fondamentale apprezzare l’assetto dell’idrografia in quanto grande assemblaggio tecnico, un “ibrido paesaggistico” in cui la trasformazione della natura non è un’eccezione, bensì la regola. Indagare questa potenziale conflittualità in relazione alla
trasformazione fa sì che questa non diventi solo strumento di controllo, ma di dialogo per raggiungere un efficace connubio tra società e idraulica.
develop the concept of the river Po as a “liquid chronotope” (Conte 2008, Bauman 2000, Bakhtin
1975) that works both on the metaphorical-narrative and the physical-geographical level. On the one
hand the river Po works as a narrative line and guides Celati's narration replacing the structuring
function of the plot; on the other hand it represents a geographical element that orients both the
narrator's and our perfomative tour through the “new Italian landscape”.
dei contenuti, delle immagini, dei grafici, dalle note biografiche relative agli autori), una efficace prefazione da cui emerge chiaramente l’intenzione che ha guidato il curatore Francesco Vallerani e gli autori, cioè quella di non elaborare «another re-affirmation or eulogy of Cosgrove’s work» ma piuttosto quella di «…seek narratives open to empathy, and pages that creatively challanged and trascended the sometimes dry language of the social sciences». Il libro è infatti diviso in due sezioni.
La prima, dedicata alle 'Memories', mentre la seconda parte del volume, intitolata 'Mobilities', prende spunto dai frequenti contatti e i prolungati soggiorni che hanno rafforzato lo stretto rapporto di Denis Cosgrove con l’Italia, ma non solo, privilegiando sia le più immediate e pragmatiche
motivazioni della ricerca scientifica, che la curiosità per le dinamiche meno evidenti che possono essere lette nella complessa tessitura dello spazio vissuto.
The conference aims to highlight the crucial importance of inland waters that are simultaneously linear and networked watery places. Waterscapes are socio-natural hybrids, results of environmental processes and a variety of human and non-human agencies and, as such, they merit our attention. We suggest understanding hybridity in terms of cultural ecosystems, socio-cultural adaptability and becoming. With this conference we would like to encourage scholars to move beyond the strictly figurative use of liquidity, while retaining its central notions of uncertainty, flux and constant motion.