Costa Ripagnola is the new Torre di Pisa

The Apulia Region in the deep south of Italy, with its 940 km of coastline, has an extremely varied rural coastal landscape. The area photographed is the ‘Costa Ripagnola’ between Polignano a Mare and Monopoli in the Province of Bari. The area was only affected by wheat cultivation and is particularly interesting from a landscape point of view due to the presence of small ancient buildings functional to the ancient art of agriculture. This was until the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to review the concept of public space.
The shot was taken in the summer of 2020, immediately after the heavy lockdown imposed on citizens. it is amazing to see how public space is inhabited and made multifunctional, in this case tourist and recreational, by the needs of people. Moreover, this area is affected by a strong political conflict between those who would like to build a recreational facility and those who would like to make it a nature park protected by law. The Apulian coastal and back-coastal territory has within it a stratification of nature and history that make it a cultural and natural heritage to be valued and travelled, at a slow pace, and not to be transformed and built upon.

Rural landscape category:
- Landscapes and Seascapes Features

Author(s): Giulia Spadafina
Photo Credit: Giulia Spadafina
Country: Italy