Lorenzo Barbasetti di Prun is a chef who challenges Italy’s culinary traditions by responding to climate change. Lorenzo trained in Fine Arts, at IUAV University of Venice, and is now pursuing gastronomy with a focus on foraging in diverse landscapes like London, the Dolomites, and the Venetian lagoon.

In this last episode of the Venice season, Lorenzo discusses foraging's role in adapting to climate change by reintroducing edible, salt-loving plants to abandoned farmlands, as part of his project The Tidal Garden.

In this episode we cover:

• The Tidal Garden: Lorenzo's initiative with colleagues Filippo Grassi and Lodovica Guarnieri. It aims to revitalise saline soils by planting sea fennel and similar plants.

• Cultural Adaptation: Educating chefs and the public about these plants to reconnect them with their local landscapes.

• Tradition vs. Innovation: Lorenzo argues that rigid culinary traditions can stifle cultural and biological diversity. He emphasises the need for tradition to adapt and evolve.

• Personal Journey: Lorenzo's background in visual arts and gastronomy. His experiences foraging in the Dolomites, Australia, and London have shaped his approach to food and ecology.

• Challenges and Future Plans: Expanding the Tidal Garden project, increasing community involvement, and promoting sustainable agriculture in the Venetian lagoon and beyond.

Photographic artist Davide Degano started to question what it means to be Italian while studying photography at The Hague. Davide started a project focusing on the people living in Friuli, where he grew up in northern Italy, near the border of Slovenia.

In the project 'Sclavanie' (2021), Davide started to investigate how people living in this border town see themselves and how they are perceived. The word sclavanie is a derogatory term for Italian people with Slovenian descent. His work expanded into the project 'Romanzo Meticcio' (2024) which means ‘mixed novel’ to look at what does it mean to be Italian against the backdrop of Italy’s fascist history.

As someone who was born in Sicily, with Columbian and Slovenian grandparents, identity has always been multi-dimensional. His grandmother Olga was born in Slovenia. By the time she was 20, the same land had become Italy. One hundred and fifty years ago, Sicily was part of the Spanish Empire, and not long before that it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Through his work, Davide started to reflect on his ancestry what that means in a post-colonial world.

Nuvola Ravera examines how human emotions can influence the environment through her project, If I Cry A Lot, Will the Lagoon Become a Sea?' (2016). In this project, Nuvola collaborates with gestalt psychotherapist Laura Castellani to view Venice as a patient in a psychotherapy session. Nuvola uses 3D sculptures, frottages, and sound recordings to capture the essence of Venice, alongside the verbatim transcript between Laura, Nuvola and the city.

In this episode of Art Destinations, Sarah and Nuvola discuss the themes of collaboration, fluid boundaries, and site-specific work, emphasising the importance of listening as we move through the world. Nuvola shares her experiences working with various professionals and how these collaborations shape her artistic practice.