Fondazione Magna Grecia: Arborum Meridies

In this context, the Magna Grecia Foundation has launched the “Arborum Meridies” project, an action-research initiative that aims to deepen knowledge of the southern Italy's tree and landscape heritage, in particular by investigating the link between local communities and the natural environment. The project has so far covered Calabria and will extend to Sicily, including a photographic survey of monumental trees, both officially recognised and considered significant by communities.

The “Arborum Meridies - a naturalistic and sustainable approach to land marketing” project, for which the Magna Grecia Foundation is constantly seeking public and private funding, aims to promote the beauty and cultural value of monumental trees, recognising in them not only important ecological resources but also tools for integrating environmental protection into land development strategies.

To amplify the dissemination of content, the Foundation is collaborating with SharryLand, a digital platform promoting a “map of Italian wonders”. SharryLand will make it possible to interactively map selected trees, create customised itineraries and share narrative and photographic content. The aim is to encourage sustainable tourism and involve an active community, generating an accessible and shared cultural ecosystem.

The Fondazione Magna Grecia project, based on a field research activity that integrates photography, narration and scientific documentation, collects images taken by young naturalist photographers, constituting an unprecedented visual archive, useful for both dissemination and awareness-raising, stimulating dialogue between local communities, tourists and stakeholders.

The initiative is aimed at a heterogeneous public: scholars, environmental operators, administrators, citizens and students. Looking ahead, the project aims to involve new regions of the South and to promote educational activities, virtual exhibitions and “citizen science” initiatives, with the objective of making the tree heritage of Southern Italy an engine of cultural, social and economic growth.