{"id":22708,"date":"2026-11-13T12:03:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T11:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/?p=22708"},"modified":"2026-11-13T15:19:01","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T14:19:01","slug":"the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Far North is no longer a distant world. Not even in Venice"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After spending time in challenging regions across Africa and the Middle East, where she documented borders and conflicts, she travelled literally to the ends of the earth to find <\/span>a reality without borders<\/b><\/span>. <\/p>\n

And it is precisely <\/span>in the far north<\/b><\/span>, amidst the dazzling light and the white expanses of the Arctic desert, and then in the darkness of the polar nights, that the photographer and journalist <\/span>Valentina Tamborra<\/b><\/span>, known for her reportages woven from stories and images, found her locus amoenus \u2013 a place of tranquillity where her soul could find rest, where the only boundary that exists is the one marking the dividing line between humans and polar bears. <\/p>\n

A journey spanning a total of nine years, undertaken in several stages,<\/span> to explore the far north \u2013 from Svalbard to Lofoten and Finnmark<\/b><\/span> \u2013 to tell the stories of those living on the edge of the world<\/span>,<\/b><\/span> such as <\/span>miners, fishermen and the Sami people.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

All this is recounted in <\/span>*Anime Artiche*<\/b><\/span>, the new book <\/span>published by Marsilio<\/b><\/span>, presented on Thursday 5th at the Spazio Eventi of the La Toletta bookshop in Venice, in which Tamborra has sought to capture the many intertwined stories of those living on the edge of the world, where, in places deemed remote and inhospitable, there are people willing to share their stories with generosity. <\/p>\n

And it is precisely beyond the Arctic Circle, where<\/span> nature reigns supreme rather than man<\/b><\/span>, that Tamborra, in that light which \u2018reshapes spaces and geometries\u2019, has recounted how<\/span> natural balances<\/b><\/span> \u2013 altered by climate change \u2013 <\/span>and geopolitical balances<\/b><\/span>, which are becoming increasingly pressing today, <\/span>influence the lives of those who have always lived in such extreme places<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":22667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1998],"tags":[3592,2002,2016,3594,3593,3595,1999],"class_list":["post-22708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ve-nice","tag-arctic","tag-climate-change-en","tag-climate-crisis","tag-north-pole","tag-photojournalist","tag-valentina-tamborra-en","tag-venice"],"acf":{"categoria":[1998],"categoria_source":{"label":"Category","type":"taxonomy","formatted_value":[{"term_id":1998,"name":"Ve-nice","slug":"ve-nice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1998,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":35,"filter":"raw"}]},"sottotitolo_h2":"After nine years in the far north, reporter Valentina Tamborra, speaking in Venice, shares her story in the book *Anime Artiche*. Against a backdrop of geopolitical and climatic changes, she tells of the miners of Svalbard, the fishermen of the Lofoten Islands, following in the footsteps of Pietro Querini, and the Sami people of Finnmark","sottotitolo_h2_source":{"label":"Subtitle","type":"text","formatted_value":"After nine years in the far north, reporter Valentina Tamborra, speaking in Venice, shares her story in the book *Anime Artiche*. Against a backdrop of geopolitical and climatic changes, she tells of the miners of Svalbard, the fishermen of the Lofoten Islands, following in the footsteps of Pietro Querini, and the Sami people of Finnmark"},"immagini_principale":{"ID":22667,"id":22667,"title":"tamborra 1","filename":"tamborra-1.jpg","filesize":343711,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-1-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-1-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:21:29","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1250,"height":1250,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-768x768.jpg","medium-width":768,"medium-height":768,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1250,"1536x1536-height":1250,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1250,"2048x2048-height":1250,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":1250,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":1250}},"immagini_principale_source":{"label":"Main images","type":"image","formatted_value":{"ID":22667,"id":22667,"title":"tamborra 1","filename":"tamborra-1.jpg","filesize":343711,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-1-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-1-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:21:29","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1250,"height":1250,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-768x768.jpg","medium-width":768,"medium-height":768,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1250,"1536x1536-height":1250,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1250,"2048x2048-height":1250,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-1.jpg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":1250,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":1250}}},"introduzione":"After spending time in challenging regions across Africa and the Middle East, where she documented borders and conflicts, she travelled literally to the ends of the earth to find <\/span>a reality without borders<\/b><\/span>. \r\n\r\nAnd it is precisely <\/span>in the far north<\/b><\/span>, amidst the dazzling light and the white expanses of the Arctic desert, and then in the darkness of the polar nights, that the photographer and journalist <\/span>Valentina Tamborra<\/b><\/span>, known for her reportages woven from stories and images, found her locus amoenus \u2013 a place of tranquillity where her soul could find rest, where the only boundary that exists is the one marking the dividing line between humans and polar bears. \r\n\r\nA journey spanning a total of nine years, undertaken in several stages,<\/span> to explore the far north \u2013 from Svalbard to Lofoten and Finnmark<\/b><\/span> \u2013 to tell the stories of those living on the edge of the world<\/span>,<\/b><\/span> such as <\/span>miners, fishermen and the Sami people.<\/b><\/span>\r\n\r\nAll this is recounted in <\/span>*Anime Artiche*<\/b><\/span>, the new book <\/span>published by Marsilio<\/b><\/span>, presented on Thursday 5th at the Spazio Eventi of the La Toletta bookshop in Venice, in which Tamborra has sought to capture the many intertwined stories of those living on the edge of the world, where, in places deemed remote and inhospitable, there are people willing to share their stories with generosity. \r\n\r\nAnd it is precisely beyond the Arctic Circle, where<\/span> nature reigns supreme rather than man<\/b><\/span>, that Tamborra, in that light which \u2018reshapes spaces and geometries\u2019, has recounted how<\/span> natural balances<\/b><\/span> \u2013 altered by climate change \u2013 <\/span>and geopolitical balances<\/b><\/span>, which are becoming increasingly pressing today, <\/span>influence the lives of those who have always lived in such extreme places<\/b><\/span>.<\/span>","introduzione_source":{"label":"Introduction","type":"wysiwyg","formatted_value":"

After spending time in challenging regions across Africa and the Middle East, where she documented borders and conflicts, she travelled literally to the ends of the earth to find <\/span>a reality without borders<\/b><\/span>. <\/p>\n

And it is precisely <\/span>in the far north<\/b><\/span>, amidst the dazzling light and the white expanses of the Arctic desert, and then in the darkness of the polar nights, that the photographer and journalist <\/span>Valentina Tamborra<\/b><\/span>, known for her reportages woven from stories and images, found her locus amoenus \u2013 a place of tranquillity where her soul could find rest, where the only boundary that exists is the one marking the dividing line between humans and polar bears. <\/p>\n

A journey spanning a total of nine years, undertaken in several stages,<\/span> to explore the far north \u2013 from Svalbard to Lofoten and Finnmark<\/b><\/span> \u2013 to tell the stories of those living on the edge of the world<\/span>,<\/b><\/span> such as <\/span>miners, fishermen and the Sami people.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

All this is recounted in <\/span>*Anime Artiche*<\/b><\/span>, the new book <\/span>published by Marsilio<\/b><\/span>, presented on Thursday 5th at the Spazio Eventi of the La Toletta bookshop in Venice, in which Tamborra has sought to capture the many intertwined stories of those living on the edge of the world, where, in places deemed remote and inhospitable, there are people willing to share their stories with generosity. <\/p>\n

And it is precisely beyond the Arctic Circle, where<\/span> nature reigns supreme rather than man<\/b><\/span>, that Tamborra, in that light which \u2018reshapes spaces and geometries\u2019, has recounted how<\/span> natural balances<\/b><\/span> \u2013 altered by climate change \u2013 <\/span>and geopolitical balances<\/b><\/span>, which are becoming increasingly pressing today, <\/span>influence the lives of those who have always lived in such extreme places<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n"},"paragrafi_articolo":[{"titolo_paragrafo":"Svalbard: the heart of the Arctic is black","testo_paragrafo":"Tamborra\u2019s adventure begins in <\/span>the Svalbard archipelago<\/b><\/span>, where anyone can enter without a visa:<\/span> in fact, people from over 50 different nationalities live in the capital, Longyearbyen<\/b><\/span>. A world \u2013 where you only leave the town if you are armed to protect yourself from bears \u2013 suspended in the oxymoron of the blinding white of the ice and the darkness of the coal mines. On her visit there, <\/span>Valentina discovered that beneath the snow, beyond the permafrost, \u2018the heart of the Arctic is black\u2019<\/b><\/span> and<\/span> that<\/b><\/span> the first permanent inhabitants of that outpost in the far north were, in fact, miners. Little by little, she begins to get to know them but, above all, to recognise them by looking into their eyes: \u2018<\/span>The underside of their lower eyelids<\/b><\/span>, in fact, <\/span>remains black<\/b><\/span> even after being washed several times,\u2019 she explains. \r\n\r\nThanks to Tommy, she ventures into the narrow tunnels, <\/span>shudders at the sound of the mountain settling<\/b><\/span>, and, with her camera, documents the work in the mine, where everything is black except for the glittering ice crystals. \r\n<\/span>\r\nThere, amongst the ice, there is also the <\/span>Global Seed Vault<\/b><\/span>, a Garden of Eden where all the world\u2019s seeds are preserved in case of wars, natural disasters and climate change, and <\/span>the Arctic World Archive<\/b><\/span>, which, as a testament to future generations, preserves a database of world art and culture. Even the Vatican Library has a copy of Dante\u2019s Divine Comedy stored there. \r\n<\/span>\r\nAnd so, against a backdrop of horizons stretching as far as the eye can see, the reporter also visits the abandoned Russian mining settlements of the<\/span> ghost towns of Pyramiden<\/b><\/span> and<\/span> Barentsburg<\/b><\/span>, and travels as far as Ny-\u00c5lesund<\/span>, the world\u2019s northernmost settlement, home to the CNR\u2019s scientific research centre<\/b><\/span>, where Valentina saw polar bears for the first time. There, researchers are studying the effects of permafrost thaw: \u2018Svalbard is the world\u2019s litmus test,\u2019 she says. \r\n\r\nThe real emergency there now, however, is not climate change, but the withdrawal, from 2022, of voting rights for foreign residents in Longyearbyen, imposed by the Norwegian government. \u2018Now only those with Norwegian citizenship can vote. It is a decision that violates rights and the Svalbard Treaty, taken for geopolitical reasons, given the latest developments and Russia\u2019s territorial claims,\u2019 explains Tamborra, recounting that, all of a sudden, she found herself wondering where that utopia had gone, that world without borders, where equality reigned, from when she first arrived. \r\n<\/span>\r\nAfter<\/span><\/em> several trips, in 2025 Tamborra returned to document the<\/span> green transition<\/span><\/em> that had materialised with the closure of <\/span>Gruve 7, the last mine still operating on the islands: \u201cMy miner friends told me: \u2018We\u2019re disappearing; no one will know we ever existed. Come back if you still want to go down the mine.\u2019 \u2013 the reporter recounts. \u2013 Keeping a record and memory of who we are is a lesson for the future. Now some have found work on the mainland, whilst others will turn to tourism. <\/span><\/em>Svalbard is becoming increasingly touristy<\/b><\/span>; flights have already tripled and the ships are getting bigger and more destructive, whilst <\/span>the doors of houses<\/b><\/span> \u2013 which have always been left open to provide shelter in the event of sudden storms or the arrival of a bear \u2013 <\/span>are starting to be locked<\/b><\/span>. The question is: which has the greater impact \u2013 the mine or the tourists?<\/span>\u2019 Even amongst the fishermen of Lofoten, Tamborra has encountered concerns about a world undergoing profound change, one that is moving at breakneck speed and, with overtourism, is leaving ancient knowledge behind. <\/span><\/em>","multimedia":"video","video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/LfeGjGGCzuE","immagine_paragrafo":{"ID":22669,"id":22669,"title":"tamborra 2","filename":"tamborra-2.jpg","filesize":226983,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-2-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-2-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:23:54","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1206,"height":804,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2-768x512.jpg","medium-width":768,"medium-height":512,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":533,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":1206,"1536x1536-height":804,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":1206,"2048x2048-height":804,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-2.jpg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":1206,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":804}},"didascalia":""},{"titolo_paragrafo":"Discovering the history of Querini and the fishermen: the Lofoten archipelago","testo_paragrafo":"Soon, in fact, it winds its way down the Norwegian coast towards <\/span>the Lofoten Islands, where the mountains are reflected in the sea below<\/b><\/span>, bathed in golden-yellow sunsets, <\/span>and fishing is a way of life.<\/b><\/span>\r\n\r\nHere begins a project <\/span>tracing the footsteps of the Venetian navigator and nobleman Pietro Querini<\/b><\/span>, who in 1431, whilst heading north, was shipwrecked in the Lofoten Islands following a storm and was rescued by fishermen from the island of R\u00f8st: \u2018That is where imports of stockfish \u2013 or rather, salted cod \u2013 to Venice began,\u2019 he recalls, noting that he was able to consult his diary at the Vatican Apostolic Library. Even today, R\u00f8st hosts the <\/span>Querinifest,<\/b><\/span> dedicated to Pietro Querini<\/span> and the historic friendship between Venice and the island<\/b><\/span>, so much so that a work of art was even created which, three years ago, was taken to the Arsenale in Venice. \r\n\r\nActing as Valentina\u2019s guide on these islands, as she discovers the fishermen and whalers, is <\/span>Kjersti<\/b><\/span>, a Lutheran priest whom she first met in R\u00f8st whilst working on Querini: \u2018She introduced me to the community and taught me how to approach such a fragile world and the people who live there. Today, Kjersti is a dear friend.\u2019 \r\n\r\nIn the Lofoten Islands in particular, alongside the <\/span>problem of the high suicide rate<\/b><\/span> exacerbated by the long dark season \u2013 the section of the book devoted to the islands opens, sadly, with a funeral \u2013 there is the issue of <\/span>the<\/b><\/span> <\/span>future of fishing<\/b><\/span>: \u201cWith global warming,<\/span> the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the Earth<\/b><\/span>, so <\/span>the fish are heading further and further out to sea in search of colder waters<\/b><\/span> where fishing boats cannot reach. \u2013 explains Tamborra \u2013 Many fishermen are abandoning their small boats or deciding to switch to fishing tourism.\u201d<\/span>","multimedia":"immagine","video":null,"immagine_paragrafo":{"ID":22671,"id":22671,"title":"tamborra 3","filename":"tamborra-3.jpeg","filesize":115981,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-3-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-3-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:25:01","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1206,"height":804,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3-768x512.jpeg","medium-width":768,"medium-height":512,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3-768x512.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3.jpeg","large-width":800,"large-height":533,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1206,"1536x1536-height":804,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1206,"2048x2048-height":804,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-3.jpeg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":1206,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":804}},"didascalia":""},{"titolo_paragrafo":"Finnmark, land of the Sami","testo_paragrafo":"The final location featured in the trilogy is <\/span>Finnmark<\/b><\/span>, where, against the endless horizon of the tundra, <\/span>the S\u00e1mi \u2013 Europe\u2019s last indigenous people<\/b><\/span> \u2013 defend their identity against the cold and modernity. Around 8<\/span>,000 nomadic souls<\/b><\/span> live in harmony with the rhythms of nature in <\/span>S\u00e1pmi<\/b><\/span>, a territory that straddles the borders of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. <\/span>Devoted to reindeer herding,<\/b><\/span> they follow the animals\u2019 migrations, and Valentina travelled with them across the tundra by quad bike and snowmobile to witness the branding and slaughter of the animals. She also had the privilege of being invited to <\/span>the<\/b><\/span> <\/span>Nissetoget<\/b><\/span>, when, on the last day of the year, men and women dress up as demons and dance around the fire, as well as to <\/span>the<\/b><\/span> <\/span>Riddu Riddu<\/b><\/span>, a festival celebrating S\u00e1mi music and culture following <\/span>centuries of discriminatory policies<\/b><\/span>. Since the 1600s, in fact, the Sami have been victims of Christianisation and, from the 1800s onwards, of \u2018Norwegianisation\u2019, which first deprived them of their pagan religion and then of their language and rituals: \u2018The drums were burnt and the shamans put to death,\u2019 recalls Tamborra. \u2018A major achievement came in 2022 when the Sami took part in the Venice Biennale for the first time.\u2019<\/span>\r\n\r\nNature is sacred to them, and<\/span> they<\/b><\/span> now <\/span>find themselves having to defend their pastures against the installation of wind turbines<\/b><\/span> driven by green economy policies \u2013 but that is not all. \r\n<\/span>\r\nAbove all, they must contend with a changing climate: <\/span>\u2018Reindeer are increasingly unable to find food in the wild<\/b><\/span>, and herders have to feed them; consequently<\/span>,<\/b><\/span> we are moving from<\/span> nomadic herding to semi-nomadic, if not entirely sedentary<\/b><\/span>,<\/span> practices<\/b><\/span>, whilst the <\/span>thinness of the ice<\/b><\/span> makes traditional migration routes unsafe.\u2019<\/span>","multimedia":"immagine","video":null,"immagine_paragrafo":{"ID":22673,"id":22673,"title":"tamborra 4","filename":"tamborra-4.jpg","filesize":916705,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-4-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-4-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:26:25","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1832,"height":1374,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4-768x576.jpg","medium-width":768,"medium-height":576,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4-1536x1152.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1152,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4.jpg","2048x2048-width":1832,"2048x2048-height":1374,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-4-1320x990.jpg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":1320,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":990}},"didascalia":""},{"titolo_paragrafo":"Tamborra: \u2018The tables have turned. We must listen to the people living on the front line.\u2019","testo_paragrafo":"It was right here in Tamborra that, after witnessing one of the most beautiful Northern Lights displays, <\/span>Tamborra<\/b><\/span>, <\/span>whilst returning by snowmobile with Terje, experienced the terror of a white-out<\/b><\/span> during a snowstorm that made it impossible to see anything around them: \u2018The cabin where we\u2019d planned to take shelter was buried in snow, and <\/span>my guide carried on driving for hours without being able to see a hand\u2019s breadth in front of us<\/b><\/span>,\u2019 he says. \u2018The next day we learnt that <\/span>a herder had died<\/b><\/span>, crushed by a snowmobile that had overturned. \u2019 she says. <\/span>\u2018Some places are truly extreme<\/b><\/span>, and if something goes wrong in the Arctic, it really goes wrong<\/span>.\u2019\n\nNow that the Arctic is on everyone\u2019s lips \u2013 a new destination within easy reach \u2013 this is a fundamental issue for her: \u2018When you go there, you must do so with a sense of awe for nature and respect for those who live in those places. <\/span>The tables have now turned,<\/b><\/span> and peoples who were once considered marginal have today become central. <\/span>Those who live in close contact with the extreme can guide us towards the future, and we must listen to them<\/b><\/span>. \u2013 and she concludes \u2013 \u2018To speak of the Arctic is to speak of what concerns us all.\u2019 \r\n<\/span>\r\nAmidst moments of reflection, emotion and adventure, as you read the book \u2013 which manages to make those lands and the people it describes feel familiar \u2013 one realises that<\/span> Tamborra\u2019s trilogy is not merely a geographical map but<\/b><\/span>,<\/span> above all<\/b><\/span>,<\/span> a human one<\/b><\/span>, because it speaks of <\/span>encounters and bonds forged on tiptoe<\/b><\/span> which, protected by the Arctic ice, are <\/span>destined to last forever<\/b><\/span>. <\/span>","multimedia":"immagine","video":null,"immagine_paragrafo":{"ID":22675,"id":22675,"title":"tamborra 5","filename":"tamborra-5.jpg","filesize":43002,"url":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/en\/the-far-north-is-no-longer-a-distant-world-not-even-in-venice\/tamborra-5-2\/","alt":"","author":"89","description":"","caption":"","name":"tamborra-5-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":22708,"date":"2026-11-13 10:27:38","modified":"2026-11-13 14:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":536,"height":823,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5-500x768.jpg","medium-width":500,"medium-height":768,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","medium_large-width":536,"medium_large-height":823,"large":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","large-width":536,"large-height":823,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","1536x1536-width":536,"1536x1536-height":823,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","2048x2048-width":536,"2048x2048-height":823,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":"https:\/\/www.gvperte.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tamborra-5.jpg","mailpoet_newsletter_max-width":536,"mailpoet_newsletter_max-height":823}},"didascalia":""}],"paragrafi_articolo_source":{"label":"Article Paragraphs","type":"repeater","formatted_value":[{"titolo_paragrafo":"Svalbard: the heart of the Arctic is black","testo_paragrafo":"

Tamborra\u2019s adventure begins in <\/span>the Svalbard archipelago<\/b><\/span>, where anyone can enter without a visa:<\/span> in fact, people from over 50 different nationalities live in the capital, Longyearbyen<\/b><\/span>. A world \u2013 where you only leave the town if you are armed to protect yourself from bears \u2013 suspended in the oxymoron of the blinding white of the ice and the darkness of the coal mines. On her visit there, <\/span>Valentina discovered that beneath the snow, beyond the permafrost, \u2018the heart of the Arctic is black\u2019<\/b><\/span> and<\/span> that<\/b><\/span> the first permanent inhabitants of that outpost in the far north were, in fact, miners. Little by little, she begins to get to know them but, above all, to recognise them by looking into their eyes: \u2018<\/span>The underside of their lower eyelids<\/b><\/span>, in fact, <\/span>remains black<\/b><\/span> even after being washed several times,\u2019 she explains. <\/p>\n

Thanks to Tommy, she ventures into the narrow tunnels, <\/span>shudders at the sound of the mountain settling<\/b><\/span>, and, with her camera, documents the work in the mine, where everything is black except for the glittering ice crystals.
\n<\/span>
\nThere, amongst the ice, there is also the <\/span>Global Seed Vault<\/b><\/span>, a Garden of Eden where all the world\u2019s seeds are preserved in case of wars, natural disasters and climate change, and <\/span>the Arctic World Archive<\/b><\/span>, which, as a testament to future generations, preserves a database of world art and culture. Even the Vatican Library has a copy of Dante\u2019s Divine Comedy stored there.
\n<\/span>
\nAnd so, against a backdrop of horizons stretching as far as the eye can see, the reporter also visits the abandoned Russian mining settlements of the<\/span> ghost towns of Pyramiden<\/b><\/span> and<\/span> Barentsburg<\/b><\/span>, and travels as far as Ny-\u00c5lesund<\/span>, the world\u2019s northernmost settlement, home to the CNR\u2019s scientific research centre<\/b><\/span>, where Valentina saw polar bears for the first time. There, researchers are studying the effects of permafrost thaw: \u2018Svalbard is the world\u2019s litmus test,\u2019 she says. <\/p>\n

The real emergency there now, however, is not climate change, but the withdrawal, from 2022, of voting rights for foreign residents in Longyearbyen, imposed by the Norwegian government. \u2018Now only those with Norwegian citizenship can vote. It is a decision that violates rights and the Svalbard Treaty, taken for geopolitical reasons, given the latest developments and Russia\u2019s territorial claims,\u2019 explains Tamborra, recounting that, all of a sudden, she found herself wondering where that utopia had gone, that world without borders, where equality reigned, from when she first arrived.
\n<\/span>
\nAfter<\/span><\/em> several trips, in 2025 Tamborra returned to document the<\/span> green transition<\/span><\/em> that had materialised with the closure of <\/span>Gruve 7, the last mine still operating on the islands: \u201cMy miner friends told me: \u2018We\u2019re disappearing; no one will know we ever existed. Come back if you still want to go down the mine.\u2019 \u2013 the reporter recounts. \u2013 Keeping a record and memory of who we are is a lesson for the future. Now some have found work on the mainland, whilst others will turn to tourism. <\/span><\/em>Svalbard is becoming increasingly touristy<\/b><\/span>; flights have already tripled and the ships are getting bigger and more destructive, whilst <\/span>the doors of houses<\/b><\/span> \u2013 which have always been left open to provide shelter in the event of sudden storms or the arrival of a bear \u2013 <\/span>are starting to be locked<\/b><\/span>. The question is: which has the greater impact \u2013 the mine or the tourists?<\/span>\u2019 Even amongst the fishermen of Lofoten, Tamborra has encountered concerns about a world undergoing profound change, one that is moving at breakneck speed and, with overtourism, is leaving ancient knowledge behind. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","multimedia":"video","video":"