Luigi Ghirri's photography is celebrated in Emilia Romagna: here are the must-see events

It was in Modena that Ghirri inaugurated his first exhibition in 1972.

The city therefore wishes to pay homage to the great master with the exhibition Luigi Ghirri and Modena. A journey back in time, curated by Daniele De Luigi and staged in Palazzo Santa Margherita.

The exhibition is divided into four rooms and is a journey back through Ghirri's career, with more than sixty photographs from the Civic Gallery of the Municipality of Modena and the photography collection of the Modena Visual Arts Foundation.

The itinerary starts with photographs from the second half of the 1980s, with shots of Modena's artistic heritage and historic centre taken for the Italian Touring Club, as well as a number of previously unpublished ones depicting Aldo Rossi's famous Cube, the Cimitero Nuovo di San Cataldo in Modena, designed in 1971.

The exhibition ends with Colazione sull'erba (Breakfast on the Grass) and other interesting photographs from the early stages of the master's career.

At the end of your visit, why not take a two-minute stroll to the relaxing Parco Giardino Ducale Estense, then stop for some tigelle (flat breads) at Trattoria Il Fantino, and finally enjoy the magical sound of jazz at the Cotton Club.

Moving on to Reggio Emilia, another unmissable exhibition awaits you in the central Palazzo dei Musei. Curated by Ilaria Campioli, Joan Fontcuberta and Matteo Guidi, the exhibition starts with In scala (On a scale), the photographic series taken by Luigi Ghirri from the late 1970s to the first half of the 1980s at the Italia in Miniatura amusement park in Rimini.

The exhibition displays photographs, some of them previously unpublished, from Ghirri's aforementioned series, for the first time in dialogue with a selection of materials from the park's archive, collected and produced by Ivo Rambaldi, the creator and founder of the theme park, for the construction of the models.

As well as maps, sketches, notes and other documents, visitors can also admire photographs taken by Rambaldi on his travels around Italy.

If the exhibition has made you hungry, now is a good time to taste the famous green tortelli reggiani; an eight-minute walk from Palazzo dei Musei will take you to Nâni Bottega & Cucina. Here, after lunch you can stock up on fresh pasta and gourmet delicacies to be enjoyed at home.

The bond between Luigi Ghirri and Parma has its origins at the Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione - CSAC.

Here, thanks to the staging of an exhibition and the publication of a volume, it will be possible to reconstruct the complex relationship between the photographer, the University of Parma and the generation of authors who, in the 1970s, defined with him a new kind of landscape photography and who, between conceptual research and reflection on the media, invented a 'new way of seeing'.

During the autumn of 2022, a series of public meetings and study days will be held in the city, that will see scholars, artists, and writers reflect on Ghirri's work and the great impact it had on the culture, and not just visual culture, of the second half of the 20th century.

Moreover, if you are staying in the centre of Parma, the advice is to travel to the Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione by bicycle. A half-hour ride will take you to your destination, allowing you to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Parma countryside.

Emilia Romagna welcomes remembrance by celebrating culture. Three decades after his death, Luigi Ghirri, an immortal symbol of the art of photography, continues to be a source of eternal inspiration for future generations.