"Pomposa (Ferrara). Abbazia Benedettina sorta nel VI secolo, di tipo tardo ravennate"

(Pomposa, Ferrara. Benedictine abbey founded in the 6^th century, of the late Ravennate style)

gelatin silver print

stamp verso

Photograph from a collection of tourism photographs from the first half of the 20^th century, issued by Italian tourism boards. High-quality works by renowned studios, such as the Alinari brothers, were frequently used to promote Italy as a travel destination. With the West German Economic Miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) of the 1950s, these idealized images of longing became a reality: rising prosperity and increased leisure time transformed vacations into a status symbol. Italy – particularly the Riviera and the Adriatic coast – became the number one destination of choice. By the mid-1950s, 4.5 million Germans were already traveling across the Alps, marking the beginning of modern mass tourism.¹

The Abbazia di San Salvatore di Pomposa is one of the most significant Benedictine monastery complexes in northern Italy. Its origins date back to the 6th century. The monastery reached its golden age around the year 1000, when it served as a major spiritual and cultural center. Built in the Ravennate-Byzantine style, the basilica is striking for its monumental, 48-meter-high campanile from 1063. This nine-tiered tower is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, characterized by an increasing number and size of window openings toward the top, which lends the structure a remarkable lightness despite its massive scale.
(Christoph Fuchs)

Note

1
"Geteiltes Deutschland: Modernisierung. Bundesrepublik im Wandel. Tourismus", Lebendiges Museum online, Deutsches Historisches Museum, https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-modernisierung/bundesrepublik-im-wandel/tourismus.html (accessed 26.6.2026)