Lontano dalla Vetta
for Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Tosco-Emiliano

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire”
Gustav Mahler


In June 2015 Appennino Tosco-Emiliano officially entered the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) network. The list consists of more than 600 biosphere reserves in 120 countries, comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems that reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. Biosphere reserves are special places for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.


Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park has an extention of 23.613 hectares in 38 different municipalities of the two italian regions. The role of the local communities both in the environmental and cultural preservation is fundamental. With Lontano dalla Vetta (Far from the Top) I wanted to pay homage to these communities, showing the spirit of the people of Appennino and how it still lives and embodies in their traditions and in their heritage. A wide galaxy of folk fests and fairs animates the social fabric of these little mountain villages, especially in summertime. I chose to take part in those events to show the lives of the people of Appennino.
Lontano dalla Vetta is the final project of the residency program for young artists commissioned by Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park in 2015 and realized under the curatorship of Andrea Botto and Daniele De Luigi.