Dentro Roma

The photographic volume in two languages (Italian and English) – which will be the first in the new Treccani series ‘Grandi Città, Grandi Fotografi’ (Great Cities, Great Photographers) – is intended to be a story that is told through 300 photos, providing a visual experience of the city of Rome as seen by the photographer Massimo Listri.
Listri, a sophisticated collector of antiques, is deeply inspired by the ‘eternal city’ of Rome, a key place in his classical vision of the world and of art. The photos taken by Listri are metaphysical, portraying places as silent and empty interiors, which are perfectly lit so as to create a surreal ambience in which light complements their beauty. The gaze of the Master permeates places and captures their spirit while seeking an intimate atmosphere: in this way, every space becomes an interior. Thus, ‘going into’ more or less well-known places in the city will be the recurring theme of the volume ‘Dentro Roma’. The book will be divided into six sections - Segni del classico (Classical signs), Palazzi del Potere (Palaces of Power), Spazi Sacri (Sacred Spaces), Scrigni di Cultura (Treasure Troves of Culture), Paesaggi (Landscapes), and Volti di Roma (Faces of Rome). Authors will include Luigi Ficacci, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Barbara Jatta, Cesare Cunaccia and Marco Lodoli.
‘Dentro Roma’ is a real literary and visual journey, which one can easily get lost in, as explained by the curator Renata Mazzantini: ‘These 300 photos are not arranged chronologically or geographically: quite the opposite, in fact they are jumbled up, covering more than 20 centuries of history and blurring the location on the map of each different target. Readers will become completely absorbed and lose all sense of space and time as they enter institutional buildings, sneak into noble residences, wander through temples of learning, discover secret gardens and, last but not least, will be truly amazed by facial details. I would not recommend trying to get your head round this: instead, it is best to learn from Listri how to look at photos with the third eye of an artist’.