SPIRITS of the DOLOMITES – a visual presentation by Alan Boyle

In 1872 the popular English novelist Amelia Edwards, and her companion Lucy Renshaw, embarked on an intrepid journey through the Italian Dolomites at a time when travellers rarely visited the region.

Amelia described their experiences in her book Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys which revealed the astonishing natural beauty of this landscape to foreign travellers for the first time.

More than a century later, inspired by Amelia's account of her travels, siblings Alan Boyle and Susan Boyle retraced her journey, visiting the same villages that she passed through, and meeting descendants of people that Amelia met and wrote about.

Their quest revealed astonishing discoveries, such as Amelia's original watercolour sketches of the Dolomites, which were misplaced and ignored in an Egyptology archive at Oxford University.

The presentation, illustrated by spectacular scenery now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, tells the story of two journeys.

By comparing Amelia's sketches, and meticulous pen-portraits, with recent photographs from the same locations, it explores what has changed and what remains the same.

Alan juxtaposes Amelia's warm-hearted accounts of charming incidents on her journey with amusing episodes from his and Susan's own recent research.

The dual narratives reveal the enduring impact of Nature and humanity on our emotions, something he calls the Spirits of the Dolomites.

Presentation in English.

Marcella Morandini, director UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, said: "Spirits of the Dolomites is the story of a shared passion that has united strangers who lived more than a century apart.

"Amelia, Susan and Alan take us by the hand and help us to rediscover the mountains that surround us with fresh eyes."