Architectural Landmarks Illustrating a Territory as Seen in Ancient Art Exhibitions between the 19th and 20th Centuries in Italy and Beyond

This essay examines how architecture was narrated and displayed in temporary exhibitions between the late 19th century and the First World War, with a special eye for ancient art exhibitions of the early 1900s, where painting, sculpture, and decorative arts were also represented. The study explores the role and importance assigned to cities as a whole and to civic and religious buildings, as well as the media chosen to depict and disseminate them: drawings, photographs, paintings, prints, architectural models, and even organized visits or excursions. It also considers how exhibitions constructed a sense of place: in the United States and Germany, through large photographs and three-dimensional models, and in Italy, through historical-topographical approaches. Together, these case studies reveal the ways in which exhibitions contributed to shaping cultural identities by identifying regional landmarks with both natural and human-made landscapes.