Continental Notebooks

See for yourself — that is the philosophy of those who seek to understand things at their core. That same philosophy led Manuel Cicchetti to travel thousands of kilometres to develop this New European Atlas, experiencing roads, houses, people and services through his expert lens, taking in scents and surroundings — all things that maps, even detailed 3D ones, can never truly render.

While for the people of ancient Crete, Europe signified every land north of the Mediterranean, over time, it became more often synonymous with infrastructure and economics. The Europe we inhabit today hosts 738 million people whose identity might seem complex and multi-faceted — but is it really the case?

Manuel Cicchetti charts a New European Atlas by abolishing borders and following only latitude and longitude. A long journey that shuns the architecture of cathedrals in favour of the streets, where the elements of everyday life give us a clear, powerful message — Europe exists, despite the rivalries and pressures of nation states.

The author’s photographic work highlights how lines and architectures, spaces and geometries, while different, share a common thread. Underneath the lack of a common language, there is indeed an identity. The roots have been absorbed, and stratified layers of history carry the recognisable weight of a shared cultural and architectural matrix. Cicchetti follows his compass as he explores North and South, East and West, discovering, across the segments and bands of the map, confirmation of this common identity.

The news, then, is that despite geopolitics and economics, despite national pushback and the inability to establish shared European media and spaces for public debate, Europe exists — its roots run deep, reaching every corner of the land, and continue to shape a continent marked by its history.

This exploration of what appears familiar actually reveals how many bridges have been built while citizens were unaware — citizens who can now look at the New Atlas and reflect on a European legacy that grows naturally, fuelled by a common evolution.

Manuel Cicchetti’s map unfolds between the 35th and 75th parallels and comprises over 100 photographs, drawing on his sensibility and artistic vision, avoiding the clichés of mass tourism that cloud our perceptions. A work of research and storytelling that leads us to marvel at how easy it is to challenge our assumptions, pointing us towards the deepest layers of our history.

Angelo Miotto | Journalist and Writer