Abbadia Vecchia ("The Old Abbey") - Taormina 

Giuseppe Bruno made this photograph, “Abbadia Vecchia-Taormina” in the late nineteenth century. The image depicts the romantic ruins of an old abbey in Taormina, Sicily. The photo creates meaning through a tension between the natural and the man-made. The crumbling stone abbey, an artifact of Sicily’s past, nestles at the foot of a craggy mountain, with lush vegetation and a palm tree further integrating the abbey into the natural landscape. In the 19th century, Sicily's economy relied heavily on agriculture and tourism, with picturesque ruins like the old abbey attracting wealthy visitors who sought out the sublime in nature and history. Photographers like Bruno catered to this market, producing images that spoke to a longing for a simpler, more romantic past. Understanding this artwork requires considering how social forces shape artistic production. Images like this one offer valuable insights into the cultural values of the time. A deeper understanding of the image could be developed through archival research into the history of Sicilian tourism, and the history of photography as a commercial enterprise.