Landscape Narratives: The Sacro Monte d’Orta (Italy)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Holy Mountains, or Sacri Monti, in Northern Italy are devotional places created for pilgrims during the Counter-Reformation. Their design is based on the sequence of a series of chapels arranged in the landscape, which narrate the life of Jesus or a Saint. Recently, scholars analysing the artistic features of the Holy Mountains focused on their paintings and sculptures, while the landscape design methods on which the pathways are based have been little studied. This paper addresses this lacuna by focusing on, one of the earliest examples, the Sacro Monte of Orta, and investigating its strong relationship with the landscape and the innovative design method behind the project. The analysis is based on the collection of historical documents and the physical exploration and related visual and photographic interpretation of the still well-maintained place. The research revealed a series of strong similarities between the design principles of the Sacro Monte of Orta and the picturesque gardens realised in England and France some decades after. The article aims to provide more insights regarding the Sacri Monti, interpreting them as cinematic sequences into the landscape and suggesting them as early picturesque devices.