Restful Oasis. Italy in the Images of the Eni Archive
Eni’s photographic archive, with over half a million shots, tells the story of energy and Italy from the 1920s to today, over the hundred years that first Agip and then Eni have shaped our travels. From the first gas pumps to the service stations commissioned by Enrico Mattei in 1952 and designed by architect Mario Bacciocchi, complete with bars, markets, and motels, the portrait emerges of a changing country. The black-and-white and austerity of older shots is replaced over time by color, a reflection of new photographic techniques, but above all a sign of the forceful arrival of modernity in Italy. The service station thus becomes a vantage point on Italy’s changing lifestyle, from north to south, in large cities and small villages. This perspective is captured by photographers who worked over the years, first for Agip and then for Eni, including Aldo Ballo, Federico Patellani, and Luigi Ghirri.
