Nostalgia and memories of everyday life: A narrative-visual study of Sant’Andrea Island (Gallipoli, Italy)

This paper presents a narrative and visual study that employs biographical methods, particularly everyday life stories, within a geographical framework. The objective is to explore the potential of narrative practices in strategies for the protection and enhancement of vulnerable island territories. To this end, the study showcases the filmic output of field research conducted on the Island of Sant’Andrea (Italy), located in the southeastern Ionian Sea near Gallipoli, a destination subject to significant summer tourism. This small island boasts an extraordinary historical and environmental heritage and has been legally protected since the enactment of Regional Law No. 20 of 2006, which designated it as part of the Regional Natural Park of Sant’Andrea Island and Punta Pizzo Coastline. Currently uninhabited and off-limits to visitors, the Island of Sant’Andrea was home to a small community until approximately fifty years ago, primarily responsible for managing the offshore lighthouse. In the context of filmed narrative interviews, former inhabitants were brought back to the island to share their memories and accounts of everyday life. This collection of life stories not only serves as an exercise in historical recovery but also provides an opportunity to reflect on how these narratives can inform new approaches to the island’s use and planning.