Italy- the guardian of momentous treasures

Amalshan GUNERATHNE

Highlighting the monumental value of Italy's grand architecture and landscape, the 'Art and Landscape' Italian photography exhibition was held at JDE Perera Art Gallery recently.

The exhibition showcased unique photographs of 45 UNESCO heritage sites that are placed in Italy. The photographs were all captured by the Italian photographer Luca Capuano. The forty five sites are representative of the enormous cultural wealth that Italy possesses. They are a very much a feature of Italian cultural identity and play a vital role in enriching the beauty of the country as a major tourist destination. The UNESCO list of world heritages sites currently totals up to 911, of which 45 are Italian. From forty five sites, forty two of them are classified as cultural heritage sites, while the others are of natural importance.It was way back in 1979 that the delicate stone-carved art of Valle Camonica (Brescia) was added to UNESCO world heritage list. To date Italy is home to the greatest of number of world heritage sites in the world, asserting its role as the curator of grand historic and cultural treasures.

The exhibition was organized specifically to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Italy's unification. Expressing his thoughts on the cultural sites, Franco Frattini-the minister of foreign Affairs noted, 'Not only do they remind us that Italy possesses the lion's share of western monumental and artistic heritage, but they also highlight the 'cultural beauty' as a constant feature of our national identity.' The exhibition showcased exclusively photographers of Italian heritage sites such as Piazza de Del dom of Pisa, early Christian monuments of Ravenna, historic center of Roma, Late Baroque Towns of Val-di-Noto, Botanical Gardens of Padova, Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Historic Center of Rome, historic center of Romahistoric centre of Naples, and historic centre of Sienna.