Silvia Camporesi’s Artistic Reconstruction of the Isola delle Rose

Silvia Camporesi, born in Forlì in 1973, has created an artistic project centered on the Isola delle Rose, an artificial island built in the Adriatic Sea off Rimini. The island was constructed from July 1964 to June 1968 by engineer Giorgio Rosa, who envisioned it as a micronation with its own government, language (Esperanto), currency (the Ros), flag, and national anthem. Occupied by Italian military forces on June 25, 1968, and completely dismantled by early 1969, the island now lies in ruins 12 meters underwater. Camporesi, who became fascinated by the story years before a recent film brought it to public attention, collected period materials such as postcards, stamps, and photographs. She produced a miniature wooden version of the island immersed in an artificial sea, aiming to imagine and understand the utopian project. Her work reflects on the folly and freedom embodied by Rosa's endeavor, set against the backdrop of the revolutionary 1960s. The project is featured on Artribune, an Italian art news platform.