Italy Day on July 7, 2026

The twelfth edition of Italy Day invites you on a journey through time and space to explore the diverse ways in which the Italian landscape has been conceived, depicted, and experienced. Through an interdisciplinary dialogue between art history, philosophy, and literature, the event examines how the concept of landscape reflects the aesthetic and social transformations of the Italian Peninsula from the 15th century to the present.

The program begins at 1:00 p.m. with an introduction, followed by a lecture by Dr. Angelika Bönker-Vallon on Renaissance gardens as places where philosophy, poetry, and the visual arts converge. Afterward, Prof. Dr. Martina Sitt and her students will discuss cultural exchange between Italy and the German-speaking world, using the painter Friedrich Nerly as an example.

After a short coffee break, philosophy students under Dr. Francesca Michelini will present their project on the garden motif in Italo Calvino’s work. Julia Leitherer will conclude the afternoon with an examination of literary depictions of the Italian steel industry as new forms of modern landscape.

The day ends at 6:00 p.m. with a social gathering. The event invites scholars, students, and
interested members of the public to reflect on how the aesthetics of the Italian landscape are constantly renewing themselves and
how they link memory, art, and cultural identity.

Clickhere for the program.