Landscape and sense of belonging to place: the relationship with everyday places in the experience of some migrants living in Montebelluna (Northeastern Italy)

Abstract

The research here presented involved a group of Italian and migrant people living in the town of Montebelluna (Northeastern Italy), with the objective of exploring their relationship with everyday places and the meanings attributed to the surrounding landscape. This paper focuses in particular on the data concerning migrants, aiming at illustrating their experiences: through a qualitative and visual approach, we highlighted that their relationship with the place of living is based both on practical actions and emotional responses. The “emotional dimension” is considered the main source of sense of belonging to place: it is especially determined by the landscape’s symbolic meanings, mainly through important memories, social relationships and quality of life. The effects of difficult intercultural relations on migrants’ sense of belonging to place are also discussed. In conclusion, we underlined the potentialities of landscape as an “intercultural mediator”, which can effectively be used in creating educational and recreational activities aimed at fostering intercultural dialogue and interactions.