• Marcello Pera • Boris Biancheri • Charles-Henri Favrod

The plan to hold an exhibition that narrates, through historical and contemporary images,history and contemporary events in the countries of the Mediterranean - their cities, their peoples, their coastlines and ports - came together when the extraordinary photographic archive of the Alinari Collection was coupled with ANSA's determination to achieve, through its ANSAMed project, timely and reliable means of spreading news among Mediterranean countries.
ANSAMed hopes to create a bridge among these countries, closing a communications gap in the area and highlighting its importance in the international scene.
Over 200 images have been assembled for this prestigious photographic exhibition. This makes it an ideal medium for the visitor, who is invited to walk a visual path that focuses on the contrasts and multiple affinities among these countries. These include geographic, historic, cultural and artistic aspects, as common denominators.
There are sound reasons to claim the Mediterranean area as the most important centre of civilisation. Throughout the centuries, its countries developed the most refined expressions of art and culture. Today, it stands at the crossroads of continuous exchanges among different cultures and traditions.
The exhibition aims to cover, through extraordinary historic and contemporary photographs, a sort of visual Grand Tour of the countries of the Mediterranean: their ways of life, traditions, peoples, society, culture, architecture, monuments and landscapes.
On the one hand, these images express the specific history of each country while on the other, they are visual documents of the multiple common denominators that define the Mediterranean, and give this part of the world a sort of 'common language', making it so unique.
''Without recollection of the the past, we can't interpret the present and we cannot plan the future'' according to ANSA's Editor-in-Chief Pierluigi Magnaschi.
''That is why, with Fratelli Alinari and the Senate, ANSA wanted to organize this photographic exhibition on the past and present of the Mediterranean. At times, words are too many as well as confusing and so these have been replaced by images. If chosen with care, images speak louder than words. By presenting these images, this show allows to understand for ourselves''. ''The photo exhibit stems from Ansa's commitment to taking a leading place in the world media as well as to strengthen its position in the Mediterranean as well'' observed ANSA CEO Mario Rosso.
He stressed that through ANSAmed, the agency aims to ''become the centre of an information network giving Italy an acknowledged role as a key player in the Mediterranean information scene. We plan to place this at the service of those who want to face and offer solutions to the great issues the area''.

* The exhibition has been organized by ANSA as part of the ANSAmed project with the participation of the Senate of the Italian Republic and hosted by the Fratelli Alinari Museum of History of Photography

* Roma - Palazzo Giustiniani
Via della Dogana Vecchia, 29
October 14th - November 14th 2004
Free entrance
Opening hours:
monday - sunday
from 10 am to 5 pm