Paper Landscapes: Topographical Art and Environmental Change in Liguria

The book looks at a series of topographical views by English travellers and local artists to study environmental and landscape change in Liguria. The coast saw a transition from an economy principally based on sea trade, fishing and agriculture, to the development of tourism from the late nineteenth century, with consequent urban growth and reduction of rural areas. The inland went through a process of rural depopulation which caused a constant decrease of open and agricultural surfaces and woodland growth. The volume shows the potential of topographical art in geographical research, suggesting a methodology that can be applied to other areas, and expanding the range of sources available to geographers to understand current environments by looking at their change through time.