Val di Chiana oltre il paesaggio

A meeting at the Fisiocritici: photography, memory, and territorial transformation The Fisiocritici Academy of Siena is dedicating an afternoon of reflection to one of Tuscany's most distinctive regions. On Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 5:30 pm, the meeting "Val di Chiana beyond the landscape: History, rural architecture, and agriculture in transformation" will be held, followed by the presentation of the photography book "Il sogno di Tagete. Terra e memoria in Val di Chiana" (The Dream of Tagete. Land and Memory in Val di Chiana) and the inauguration of the photography exhibition of the same name by Paolo Barcucci. A territory described beyond the postcard image The initiative is based on the project "Il sogno di Tagete," which Paolo Barcucci has been pursuing for years through photography, research, and reflection on the contemporary landscape of the Val di Chiana. The images depict a territory suspended between memory and transformation: abandoned farmhouses, agricultural geometries, contemporary infrastructure, and traces of sharecropping become tools for questioning the valley's present and future. The title recalls the mythological Etruscan figure of Tagetes, the wise boy capable of foreseeing the future. Through this symbolic reference, the project invites us to observe the contemporary landscape with a fresh perspective, balancing historical memory with changes in the landscape. A reflection on landscape, agriculture, and rural architecture The roundtable offers a multidisciplinary discussion on the relationship between man and landscape, rural memory, and the environmental and agricultural transformations currently affecting the Val di Chiana. Following greetings from Giuseppe Manganelli, President of the Accademia dei Fisiocritici, Michele Angiolini, Mayor of Montepulciano, and Nicola Tiezzi, President of the OnTheMove Cultural Association, the following speakers will be present: Paolo Barcucci, photographer and author of the project "The Dream of Tagete" Alessandro Angiolini, writer Bianca Gioia Marino, professor of Restoration at the Federico II University of Naples Iole Nocerino, PhD architect Franco Rossi, agricultural expert and physiocritic academic The photographic exhibition More than a simple photographic documentation, The Dream of Tagete presents itself as a journey into the recent memory of rural Tuscany. The project combines civic testimony, aesthetic research, and attention to landscape transformations. The exhibition invites the public to look beyond the traditional image of the Val di Chiana, reflecting on the delicate balance between development, identity, and conservation of the territory.