The use of panoramic points come from afar. Prehistoric men waited for the hunting from
high places, a ridge, the top of a hill or a dune. They were used to choose the same
emplacements used by predators: headlands with a high observation point from where
they could overlook a wide space.

In the 14th century Francesco Petrarca reached the top of Mont Ventoux, in the French
Southwestern Alps. It is said that arriving at the peak, he took in his hands “The
Confessions” by Saint Augustin and read: “Men admire the heights of mountains,
the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean and the
circuits of the stars but then they disregard themselves”.

During the Renaissance period the first gardens “Italian-style” were designed. The best
panoramic locations were chosen to build a viewpoint. It was designed like a balcony and
was often located on a terraced slope from where it was possible to get a comprehensive
view of both the garden and the surroundings, that is the landscape as a whole. Such
design interpreted the current cultural vision that put the Man at the center of the universe.
From the viewpoint it was possible to look beyond the property while it was very difficult, if
not even impossible, to look inside the estate. The first viewpoint of this kind was built
around the 16th century by Donato Bramante in Rome.

Today ways of travelling and observing are changed in terms of the imaginery of reference.
We use viewpoints to admire a nice landscape according to the current aesthetic
standards. Usually the panoramic viewpoint is a place safe and easy to get to, where a
crowd of tourists can gather, look around, take pictures of an idyllic and perfect landscape.
They find the real version of reproductions seen in brochures, on internet, magazines or
in a multitude of possible cross-references. Today we go to admire a landscape from a
viewpoint with the same attitude we have in front of a screen, a tv or a computer monitor:
we watch a show. The attraction of viewpoints is that it is like putting something real on
stage, one of the outstanding features of our times.

To interpret this idea through images, I took a step backward and I preferred to reproduce
the location of the viewpoint rather than the view from it. It was like taking a picture of a TV
set rather than the show broadcasted. The outcome is a reflection upon what we do when
we look at something, what we expect from the act of observing and which satisfaction we
get from doing it.