I toponimi della «Riviera Ligure»

Abstract

The paper examines the use of toponyms in the artistic and literary journal «La Riviera Ligure» (1895-1919). The analysis starts from the name «Riviera», to be intended in the journal’s title as a toponym if only by antonomasia. A crucial passage occurred when the original title «La Riviera Ligure di Ponente» was changed to «La Riviera Ligure», in relation to place names frequently appearing within the titles of the various contributions, especially in the journal’s early years, considering also its peculiar genesis. «La Riviera Ligure», born as a commercial bulletin of the Ditta dell’Olio Sasso in Oneglia (historically an early example of House Organ in Europe), soon became a high-profile journal: a model of relationships among industry, literature and art. The aim of the analysis is to fully evaluate the deep cultural relations implicated in «Riviera», coding a precise image of the Ligurian landscape, linking text and image, art and literature, thus favouring the crystallisation of a landscape both recognisable and functional for propaganda purposes.