by InTrieste
On February 6, 2025, at Casa Cavazzini, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Udine, archaeologist and museum director Paola Visentini will explore a question as ancient as civilization itself: Can the study of early human migration help us make sense of today’s increasingly fluid world?
In a discussion titled “Adriatic Without Borders: The Routes of the Neolithic,” Visentini will delve into the archaeological evidence of prehistoric migrations across the Adriatic and beyond. The event, part of the public program for the exhibition How Do You Build Images of the Other?, will examine how humanity’s intrinsic need to move—whether by necessity, curiosity, or survival—has shaped identities and civilizations throughout history.
“Migration is not just about physical displacement,” Visentini explains. “It’s about redefining identity, crossing borders, encountering others, clashing, merging, and ultimately transforming.”
Visentini, the director of the Friulian Museum of Natural History in Udine, has spent decades excavating and analyzing Neolithic and Copper Age sites across Italy. Her work has contributed significantly to the understanding of northeastern Italy’s prehistory and its connections to transalpine and Adriatic cultures. She has also organized numerous scientific conferences on Prehistory and Museology, as well as European outreach projects aimed at bringing archaeological discoveries to a wider public. In 2023, she was appointed to the Regional Coordination Board for the Triveneto branch of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
The talk promises to offer fresh perspectives on migration, an issue that continues to shape societies in the 21st century. Drawing on archaeological evidence, Visentini will illustrate how the movement of peoples thousands of years ago left behind fragments of history—pottery, tools, burial sites—that tell a story of adaptation, conflict, and cultural exchange.
Casa Cavazzini, the venue for the event, is hosting How Do You Build Images of the Other? in collaboration with Altreforme and the Municipality of Udine. The exhibition, open until March 16, 2025, examines the ways in which perceptions of ‘the other’ have been constructed through art, history, and culture. The conversation with Visentini will add a deep historical dimension to the broader themes explored in the show.
Admission to the event is free, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. More details, including the full program of discussions and workshops, can be found at www.projectmindthegap.it/conferenze-e-laboratori.
