Architecture and urban studies researcher and photographer Corinna Del Bianco has shared a set of photographs that capture the architecture of Mediterranean islands, including Greek and Italian islands.

Corinna Del Bianco has created a photographic journey encompassing a selection of Greek islands, including the Sporades and the Dodecanese, and Italian islands - spanning the Tuscan and Campanian archipelagos to the islands of Sicily.

Corinna Del Bianco, Archipelago. Image © Niccolò Vonci

An Archipelago is a collection of architecture photos from a long-term research project that was born in 2018. With an emphasis on the archipelagos and especially the inhabited islands, the project records the diversity of the Mediterranean islands.

The photographer's research on how various cultural identities give rise to particular lifestyles is a recurrent theme that melds with her travels through historical cultural and natural landscapes.

Giannutri island in Italy, which is home to a luxurious Roman Villa and is inhabited by a small number of people

The project has been on display since 2021 at several Italian Cultural Institute locations, including Hamburg (2021), Montreal (2022), Cologne (2023), Krakow (2024), and Warsaw (September 2024), with a variety of materials on display, including fifty photos, two videos, an introductory volume in Italian, English, and German, texts, and maps.

Giannutri island in Italy

"The Mediterranean is an inland sea cradling some of the planet's oldest civilizations," said Corinna Del Bianco. 

"On its islands, life is an encounter between sea and land, generating different cultures that respond to specific social, economic, and cultural needs." 

"However, today, the economy of these islands is primarily based on seasonal coastal tourism, flattening traditions and landscape diversity," she added.

Giannutri island in Italy

The Mediterranean Sea islands have produced distinctive architectural, social, economic, and cultural solutions throughout history. 

The most notable Italian examples are Ischia, which the Greeks and Romans have long praised for its thermal springs; Pantelleria, which is known for its "heroic agriculture"; Gorgona, a remarkable prison; Montecristo, an Integral Nature Reserve and the location of a Royal Villa; and Giannutri, which is home to a luxurious Roman Villa and is inhabited by a small number of people. 

The Tuscan Archipelago, a collection of islands off the west coast of Italy, includes Gorgona as its northernmost island 

"Nowadays, the diversity of individual islands tends to be remembered for its landscape or clear waters to which thousands flock and immerse themselves seasonally," Del Bianco explained.

"Archipelago was created to tell, document, and promote the cultural identity of the islands and archipelagos of Italy and the Mediterranean among both visitors and residents," she continued.

Gorgona island in Italy 

The project will shift its focus to Greece in the summer of 2024. Greece is a country made up of over 6,000 islands, 227 of which are inhabited and display a diverse range of historical, artistic, and cultural elements. 

According to Del Bianco, because the Greek islands are so diverse, working with local scholars and cultural specialists was crucial to ensuring a thorough investigation. Consequently, collaborations have been formed with the University of Patras and the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, which will provide support for the study and serve as the venue for the final exhibition.

Ischia, an Italian volcanic island located in the Gulf of Naples. Its mineral-rich thermal waters are well-known

The following archipelagos are included in the research to date: Tuscan Archipelago (Capraia, Elba, Montecristo, Gorgona, Giglio), Maddalena Archipelago (Maddalena), Pontine Archipelago (Ponza, Palmarola), Campanian Archipelago (Ischia), Aeolian Islands (Stromboli), Egadi Islands (Favignana), Pantelleria Island, Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa, Linosa), Maltese Islands (Malta, Gozo), Kornati Islands (Kornat, Zut, Dugi Otok), Cyclades Archipelago (Milos, Sifnos, Serifos).

Ischia island in Italy 

Ischia island in Italy

By showcasing Mediterranean island lifestyles and their distinctive cultural and natural features, the Archipelago project also supports the 2005 UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Montecristo island is part of the Tuscan Archipelago, Montecristo, also known as Monte Cristo and formerly known as Oglasa, is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea

Montecristo island in Italy

Montecristo island in Italy

Montecristo island in Italy

Montecristo island in Italy

Pantelleria is an Italian island located in the Mediterranean Sea's Strait of Sicily

Pantelleria island in Italy

Pantelleria island in Italy

Pantelleria island in Italy

Pantelleria island in Italy

The new exhibition "Islands Reload – Archipelago" will be on display at the Italian Cultural Institute in Warsaw from September 5th to October 2nd, 2024. "Reload - Archipelago" will be on display at the Italian Institute of Culture in Varsavia.

Read our exlusive interview with world-renowned photographers on the WAC. 

Top image in the article © Pantelleria island in Italy. 

All photographs © Corinna Del Bianco unless otherwise stated.  

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