ANNA BRENNA

The origins of the name of the Lambro river are to be found in the Greek word λαμπρως (lampròs) which means clear, shiny and also an old saying in the Milanese dialect reads "ciar com’el Làmber", that is, clear like Lambro.

The Lambro river originates in the province of Como and along its course crosses Lombardy from north to south, crossing 52 municipalities, touching six provinces and silently flowing along the entire eastern outskirts of the city of Milan, before ending into the Po just south of Lodi, with a distance of 130km.

Unfortunately, the Lambro is known for being anything but clear, it is in fact one of the great Italian rivers that has suffered most from the heavy industrialization that took place on its banks. The course was modified and damaged in favor of the cities, causing floods and pollution.

Only since the end of the nineties, the situation has definitely improved above all thanks to the remediation interventions also promoted by the European Union and the purification system of the city of Milan.

Numerous city parks host stretches of the Lambro river, from the Monza Park to the Lambro Park in Milan, just to name the most important, offering green lungs to one of the most industrialized areas of Italy. Several cycle and pedestrian paths have also been created along the banks of the river, including farmhouses, mills, corn fields, rolled hay bales and birds, which many populate the river areas.

In five months I traveled the entire course of the river, from its source to its mouth, trying to capture images of the river and the surrounding environment, which represented the relationship of man with the river and the changes in the landscape that hosts its course, mainly due to human intervention.

I loved getting lost in the countryside, the sensations of slowness and stillness that characterize the river, the sometimes fairytale-like atmospheres, the human presence that is lost in the landscape or that leaves only traces of its passage.