Jean-Noël Schifano's Vesevo: Sculptures in Lava on Vesuvius Route

In 2005, the mayor of Herculanum initiated a project led by writer and translator Jean-Noël Schifano, who conceived an expedition along the Vesuvius route where European artists would create sculptures from lava—a first of its kind. After three years of planning, ten artists were selected: Mark Brusse (Netherlands) with 'Les Yeux écoutent', Johannes Grützke (Germany) with 'Homme et l'enfant', Miguel Berrocal (Spain) who created his final work 'Torse du Vésuve' (2006), Lello Esposito (Italy) with 'Masque de Pulecenèlla', Denis Monfleur (France) with 'Famille atomisée', Dimas Macedo (Portugal) with 'Femme vésuvienne', Rùrì (Iceland) with 'Table des volcans' (noted at the 2003 Venice Biennale), Velickovic (Serbia/France) with 'L'Ancêtre', Antonio Segui (Argentina/France) with 'Icare', and Alekos Fassianos (Greece) with 'Ange de feu'. The book 'Vesevo' documents these works through black-and-white photographs by Alain Volut, capturing the material's strength and the site's genius. The publication also references Giacomo Leopardi, who spent his final months near Vesuvius.