That climate change is already affecting the historical and artistic heritage is not sensational news. That 42 out of 49 UNESCO sites: in the Mediterranean area can be submerged by the rising sea and coasts is scientifically established and reported in a study in Nature Communication. In 1892 the painter Federico Cortese created 'Ruderi di un mondo che fu…', in which the temples of Paestum are represented underwater. The picture is exhibited at the National Gallery in Rome and provided the inspiration for building the exhibition "Poseidonia city of water: archeology and climate change", which will open on October 4 in the Archaeological Park of Paestum and will close on January 31 2020. An event supported by the Campania Region, very original and worth following.
It all stems from the vision of Cortese's painting aside director of the archaeological area of Paestum, Gabriel Zuchtriegel who, with the curators Paul Carter and Adriana Rispoli, has put together a project that is as original as it is current. Because the plain of the Sele River - where the ancient Poseidonia is located - could actually be affected by the rising sea waters; why archaeological sites must be better defended in any case; because memory and history cannot disappear due to unfortunate calamities. Are we all sensitive to climate change or not, so much so that the government these days says it wants to commit stratospheric economic resources? The Exhibition anticipates devastating environmental scenarios that will give us food for thought.
When I saw the picture, the study on Nature Communications came to mind, says Zuchtriegel , on the 42 UNESCO sites around the Mediterranean including Paestum. That painting will be the only loaned work on display, while other objects will come from the Paestum collections and in part these are objects never exhibited before. The focus will be on the relationship between men and the environment and in particular that with the sea. The projections on climatic and environmental changes that could affect the area over the next 100 years, elaborated by the Center for Studies on Climate Change in the Mediterranean, will also be fundamental. In these days the technical tests for the video-mapping on the Temple of Neptune curated by the Neapolitan artist Alessandra Franco are also completed. On the other hand, the writer Andrea Marcolongo will bring a contribution from her to explain that Poseidonia, dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea, has been a special place since the time of Homer. The whole exhibition is centered on strong themes that are shaking consciences but which still need to progress in the actions of governments.
The entire archaeological area of Paestum is experiencing a magical moment with an increase in visitors (over 500 a year) and study meetings. A few weeks after the start of the new excavation campaign financed by the European Union with 13 million euros, a stone fragment depicting a woman's face and other finds dating back to the sixth-fifth century BC have already been found. And we are only at the beginning. For four years Paestum has also enjoyed managerial and financial autonomy and has focused on the quality of the offer. Tourists are given the opportunity to visit deposits and laboratories to increase their knowledge of a site which, in addition to the temples, is also recognized worldwide for the famous fresco of the "Toma del tuffatore". Unique and refined example of an ancient Greek burial. A heritage of Campania and of Italy, ultimately, which cannot risk disappearing or being threatened by the invasion of the waters. While respecting the imagination of those who wanted to see Paestum reduced like this.
