16 September 2018

Italy as you've never seen it before: 13 historical photos brought to life

This collection of antique photochromes and coloured prints is a fascinating document of Italy in the 1900s – and a reminder of what is about the country that wins every visitor’s heart

7 mins
Rome viewed from the Palatine Hill (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Rome viewed from the Palatine Hill (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

The Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge in Venice (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

The Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge in Venice (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Neapolitan washerwoman, c. 1900 (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Neapolitan washerwoman, c. 1900 (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You may have the universe if I can have Italy.”

– Giuseppe Verdi

View of Gardone Riviera, c. 1900 (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

View of Gardone Riviera, c. 1900 (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I, Turin (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I, Turin (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Chapel of Sant’ Ampelio, Bordighera (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Chapel of Sant’ Ampelio, Bordighera (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Bridges on the Arno, with Ponte Vecchio in the foreground, Florence (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Bridges on the Arno, with Ponte Vecchio in the foreground, Florence (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

The western side of the Roman Forum seen from the east, Rome (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

The western side of the Roman Forum seen from the east, Rome (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Gaino, near Maderno, Lake Garda (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Gaino, near Maderno, Lake Garda (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

“'As I enter Italy, I recognize the scaly tiled houses, the vines, the clothes stretched in the courtyards, the shady squares of small Italian towns, the noon hours when pigeons seek shelter. Here, the soul wears out its revolt.' — Albert Camus”
Public wash-house in Santa Brigida, Genoa (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Public wash-house in Santa Brigida, Genoa (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Trajan’s Forum with Trajan’s Column and the 18th-century churches of St. Mary of Loreto and of the Santissimo Nome di Maria (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Trajan’s Forum with Trajan’s Column and the 18th-century churches of St. Mary of Loreto and of the Santissimo Nome di Maria (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Public laundry facilities, Piazza Francese (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Public laundry facilities, Piazza Francese (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Capo Sant’ Andrea, Taormina (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Capo Sant’ Andrea, Taormina (Marc Walter Collection, Paris)

Italy around 1900: A Portrait in Colour by Marc Walter, Sabine Arqué and Giovanni Fanelli, is published by Taschen. For more information visit taschen.com.

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