Memory

The sensibility of twentieth century artists

Even if it has become inaccessible, the valley of the mills remains in the collective imagination; it is repeatedly interpreted by artists and personalities from the world of culture.

Roberto Pane, The valley of Sorrento, sd.
Roberto PANE (Taranto 1897 – Sorrento 1987), Il vallone di Sorrento (The Valley of Sorrento), sd.
Roberto Pane was an architectural historian and architect. A supporter of the historic city and of the landscape, he also actively intervened in Sorrento, criticizing and stemming the devastating effects of building speculation taking place in the post-war period.
Roberto PANE (Taranto 1897 – Sorrento 1987), Il vallone di Sorrento (The Valley of Sorrento), sd.

In 1981 Antonino Di Leva, local historian, dedicated an entire chapter of his book “Within the circle of the ancient walls” (“Entro la cerchia de le mura antiche“) to “The garette and the filling of the ravine” (Le garette e il riempimento del burrone). Relying on sources from the archive of the Municipality of Sorrento, he documented the demolitions of the sections of walls and the filling of the valleys with waste material. Di Leva closed the chapter by declaring that everything had happened “because of general indifference” and concluded: “And even today that sentiment has not substantially changed” [Di Leva 1987, p. 63].

Valley of the Sorrento mills, interiors, copyright Carlo Alfaro, all rights reserved
Carlo ALFARO (Sorrento 1954), Il vallone dei mulini (The valley of the mills), slide Ektachrome 64 asa, 1986.

Property of the author, by courtesy of the same.

In 1986 Carlo Alfaro went down to the Valley of the Mills, which was in those decades almost inaccessible, producing a photographic series published and awarded several times.
Valley of the Mills of Sorrento, copyright Carlo Alfaro, all rights reserved
Carlo ALFARO (Sorrento 1954), Il vallone dei mulini (The valley of the mills), slide Ektachrome 64 asa, 1986.

Property of the author, by courtesy of the same.

Valley of the mills of Sorrento, tufa cliffs, copyright Carlo Alfaro, all rights reserved
Carlo ALFARO (Sorrento 1954), Il vallone dei mulini (The Valley of the Mills), digital, 2005.

Property of the author, by courtesy of the same.

Local painters also helped keep the memory of the valley landscape alive in the community.

Domenico FIORENTINO (Sorrento 1923-2012), Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), 2000.Oil painting on canvas, cm. 70×50.

Property of Fiorentino, by courtesy of the same.

[Domenico Fiorentino 2007, p. 153]

Domenico FIORENTINO (Sorrento 1923-2012), Valley of the Mills, 2000
Domenico FIORENTINO (Sorrento 1923-2012), Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), 2000.Oil painting on canvas, cm. 70×50.

Property of Fiorentino, by courtesy of the same.

[Domenico Fiorentino 2007, p. 153]

Giuseppe Rocco (Sorrento 1940), Valley of the mills, ca 1980
Giuseppe ROCCO (Sorrento 1940), Vallone dei mulini (Valley of the Mills), ca 1980.

Private collection, courtesy of owner.

Side of a chest.

Inlay in wood: maple, afrormosia, amaranth, birch, chestnut, Macassar ebony, beech, ash, magnolia, olive, elm, rosewood, linden.

Inspiration for the great masters of Sorrento’s wooden marquetry

Giuseppe ROCCO (Sorrento 1940), Vallone dei mulini (Valley of the Mills), ca 1980.

Private collection, courtesy of owner.

Side of a chest.

Inlay in wood: maple, afrormosia, amaranth, birch, chestnut, Macassar ebony, beech, ash, magnolia, olive, elm, rosewood, linden.

Michele CALEMMA (Massa Lubrense 1949), Sorrento's ancient gate 1800, 2012
Michele CALEMMA (Massa Lubrense 1949), Sorrento antica porta (Sorrento’s Ancient Gate) 1800, 2012, cm. 84×63 / 97×76.

Property of the author, by permission

Inlay in wood: maple, orange, ash, horse chestnut, lemon, mahogany, walnut, elm, paduca, pear tree, 5 grades tulipien, olive tree.

William BROCKEDON - James TIBBITTS WILLMORE, The Gate of Sorrento from the ravine
Nativity by Marcello Aversa, Sorrento
Marcello AVERSA (Sant’Agnello 1966), Presepe (Nativity), sd.

Terracotta, base cm. 37, depth cm. 20, height cm. 50, width cm. 8.

Property of the author, by permission.

The valley as inspiration for the masters of nativity scenes

Marcello AVERSA (Sant’Agnello 1966), Presepe (Nativity), sd.

Terracotta, base cm. 37, depth cm. 20, height cm. 50, width cm. 8.

Property of the author, by permission.

Nel secondo Novecento il collezionismo locale iniziò a recuperare e raccoglie il patrimonio iconografico che raffigurava Sorrento.

Tra questi Antonino Cuomo, avvocato, più volte sindaco della città e cultore di storia locale, ha pubblicato più volte il patrimonio raccolto; Alessandro Fiorentino, architetto, ha aperto al pubblico le proprie collezioni nel Museo MUTA; Antonino Parlato ha sempre reso disponibile la propria raccolta di cartoline e fotografie.

Antonino Cuomo, Sorrento and its peninsula. The engravings from Vico Equense to Massa Lubrense from the 16th to the 19th century
Antonino Cuomo, Sorrento e la sua penisola. Le incisioni da Vico Equense a Massa Lubrense dal XVI al XIX secolo (Sorrento and its peninsula. The engravings from Vico Equense to Massa Lubrense from the 16th to the 19th century), Nicola Longobardi, Castellammare di Stabia,
Antonino Cuomo, Sorrento, three centuries of images
Antonino Cuomo, Sorrento, tre secoli di immagini. Come fu, com’era, com’è (Sorrento, three centuries of images. How it was, how it became, how it is), Nicola Longobardi, Castellammare di Stabia, 2013.

Click and explore the sections of the virtual exhibition on the valley of the Sorrento mills