THE MINING TOWN OF IDRIJA IN 1812 AS SEEN BY G. CATTANEO AND G. SCOPOLI (JR.)

This article is based on a geo-critical approach, aimed at considering the identity of places as a mobile construct, which depends on the perspectives adopted, and analyzes the pages of two travel writings describing the Idrija Mercury Mine, during the time of the Illyrian Provinces. Both texts date back to a stop made in Idrija in 1812 by two government officials from the Italian Kingdom during their journey through central Europe. Respectively: a) a text by G. Scopoli jr., drawn up as an office report, which contains socio-economic observations as well as an attentive approach to applied aspects; and b) the excerpt of the travel diary of G. Cattaneo, a text with a descriptive and narrative approach, focusing on the aesthetic aspects of the urban visited contexts, according to the specific artistic education of its author. Both travelers, despite their specific education and personal as well as professional interests, judged with the same enthusiasm - from a liberal bourgeois point of view - the industrial technology and efficient organization of work at the mining center.