Cronache d’acqua – TerraProject

Palm tree greenhouses at Vannucci Piante, a historic nursery in Pistoia.

TerraProject developed four photographic stories exploring the relationship between water and agriculture for “Cronache d’acqua – Immagini dal Centro Italia” (Water Chronicles – Images from Central Italy), a project commissioned by Gallerie d’Italia, the exhibition hub of Intesa Sanpaolo. The work was done in collaboration with Green & Blue, a publication by La Repubblica / GEDI Group.

Michele Borzoni worked in Pistoia’s vast plant-nursery district, one of Europe’s most important hubs for ornamental horticulture, observing how growers manage water in an increasingly fragile climate. Simone Donati documented the experimental agricultural company of the Polytechnic University of Marche, where research fields and irrigation systems form a living laboratory for the future of farming. Rocco Rorandelli explored San Benedetto del Tronto, focusing on an ambitious wastewater management project that aims to reduce pressure on local ecosystems and secure clean resources for local farmers. Finally, Pietro Paolini visited a vertical farm in Torrita di Siena, tracing how controlled-environment agriculture is reshaping production and consumption.

All the projects can be seen here.

Strelitzia plants in the Vannucci logistics yard. Plants ready for shipping.

Plant nurseries in the Pistoia plain, surrounded by the Apennine mountains, create ideal weather and climate conditions for growing plants.

Palm tree greenhouses at Vannucci Piante, a historic nursery in Pistoia.

Japanese maples inside the Romiti nurseries, one of the most important nursery companies in Pistoia.

Loropetalum, or "Black Pearl" produced from cuttings in the greenhouses of Inocenti & Mangoni.

Maria Chiara Battistelli, a PhD student in entomology specializing in crop protection from insects.

Aerial view of two sunflower plots in the experimental field.

D3A PhD students preparing the instrument for measuring gas exchange between leaves and the atmosphere.

Agras T50 drone during a field demonstration of fertilization material distribution.

Alessio Giampieri, a PhD student in agronomy, observes corn samples under a stereomicroscope to assess their integrity.

Sunflower root extracted to evaluate the hybrid's tolerance to water stress.

A canal leads to the sea in San Benedetto del Tronto. Water availability from springs and wells has decreased over the years due to multiple factors, including the effects of the 2016 earthquake, which altered the shape of the catchment area, and climate change, with short-lived extreme weather events and high temperatures in the summer months.

Aerial view of the Brodolini wastewater treatment plant in San Benedetto del Tronto. Here, the research group coordinated by Professor Francesco Fatone of the Polytechnic University of Marche is implementing a European innovation project (CSSBoost) as part of the "Circular Cities and Regions" initiative.

View of San Benedetto del Tronto. Like many other seaside resorts, San Benedetto del Tronto has a variable population: from approximately 47,000 inhabitants in the low season, it rises to over 120,000 in the high season, with peaks in the central summer months. This tourist load has a significant impact on wastewater treatment, which increases from approximately 19,000 m³/day in the low season to 28,000 m³/day in the high season.