"Chiostro della Chiesa di Santo Stefano"

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 cloister of Santo Stefano in Bologna is a fascinating Romanesque monastic complex. Erected in the 11th and 12th centuries, the two-story quadrangle is striking for its delicate architecture of brick-red arches and paired marble columns on the upper ambulatory. An absolute highlight is the distinctive corner column in the foreground, which stands out from the smooth rows of columns with its intricately twisted, spiral fluting. The harmonious interplay of the wooden roof construction, the finely sculpted capitals, and the high-contrast play of light and shadow embodies the traditional image of longing for contemplative monastic architecture.

Founded in Bologna in 1914 by Achille Villani, the Fotostudio A. Villani & Figli is an important archive for architectural and documentary photography in Italy. The institution achieved renown through its masterfully crafted and systematic recording of the art and cultural heritage of Emilia-Romagna. In the 1950s, the studio served as a key partner for the provincial tourism boards (EPT), decisively shaping the visual promotion of northern Italy with its high-contrast, precisely composed photographs. In 1988, the studio's invaluable historical legacy of over 670,000 photographs was transferred to the central picture archive of Fratelli Alinari in Florence.
(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)