Italo Calvino's journey to Iran: carpets as maps

“In Eudoxia, which extends high and low, with winding alleys, stairs, corners, hovels, a carpet is preserved in which you can contemplate the true shape of the city. At first glance nothing seems to resemble Eudoxia less than the design of the carpet, ordered in symmetrical figures that repeat their motifs along straight and circular lines, woven with brilliantly colored spiers, the alternation of whose wefts you can follow along the entire warp . But if you stop to observe it carefully, you will be convinced that each place on the carpet corresponds to a place in the city and that all the things contained in the city are included in the drawing, arranged according to their true relationships..."

-Sand collection, Italo Calvino

Italo Calvino's literary work is dotted with geographical references. The writer uses geography to orient himself in space and create new landscapes that challenge traditional conventions.

Numerous of his writings deal with the theme of travel, understood as an opportunity to learn not only physical places, but also the labyrinths of the mind. Every place contains the meaning and memory of things, every place tells a story.

In Sand collection, a collection of essays with unpublished visions of the world and life, Calvino recalls the trips undertaken to Mexico, Japan and Iran, capable of inspiring new suggestions in him.

The trip to Iran dates back to 1975, when Calvino and the writer and friend Pietro Citati were commissioned to write The Cities of Persia, a documentary in five episodes in which the two fantastically explore Iran. The two provide a new look at the places visited, creating a map of them, but also of the places, the people, the smells, the colours.

In Iran, Calvin's gaze focuses on the production of carpets. He writes:

“Only one thought makes me feel at ease: carpets. It is in the weaving of carpets that the nomads deposit their wisdom: variegated and light objects that are spread out on the bare ground wherever one stops to spend the night and are rolled up in the morning to take them away with them together with all their belongings on the hump of the camels".

Cartografica Visceglia allows you to combine the map you like with the art of carpet weaving. Simply choose the geographic print from our historical archive and Visceglia will create the carpet with which to furnish your habitat, making it welcoming and with an extra touch of personality. Thanks to customization, you can enrich your carpet with significant details and symbols.

Contact us to request information.