"We have lived a thousand years because we have seen the world as it was in the past: old churches, ruined castles, villages with stone houses, ancient oaks on the hillsides, terraced mountain fields, winding paths, very ancient trees, venerable olive trees." (Eugenio Turri, Diario di un geografo)
Biodiversity begins with the geodiversity of rocks and soils dating back millions of years
Any given stone in the Mediterranean landscape could be 50, 100, or even 200 million years old. Mediterranean biodiversity has its roots in geodiversity: each rock formation or outcrop contributes to shaping ecological niches where differentiated soils and various organisms thrive.
Where many formations emerge together, the surface morphology becomes rich and complex: some of the most admired Mediterranean landscapes owe their beauty and ecological wealth precisely to this geodiversity, and the biodiversity that springs from it. Sedimentary rock formations predominate, but they are interspersed with red soils formed by iron oxidation in karst areas, or effusive rocks produced by volcanic activity, which generate dark, highly productive soils.
Humans have long drawn on this lithological variety, transforming their constructive and productive activities into a true form of art. This dialogue between human activity and geological history can be seen in the walls of rural houses, in the dry-stone terrace walls, and in stone villages that crown and extend the rock formations themselves.
Eugenio Turri’s deep attention to stone landscapes is an invitation to expand our experience of time and to keep alive this dialogue with a history that stretches back millennia.
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