Culture and Health - A plunge into the landscape

The lecture series dedicated to "Culture and Health", the course of USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, open to the public and carried out in collaboration with the City of Lugano Arts Department and IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research continues. The third lecture will be held on Monday, 8 November 2021, focusing on the theme "A plunge into the landscape. The impact of the natural environment on health. Projects, methods, results, and case studies."

The lecture will be introduced and moderated by Prof. Enzo Grossi, author of the book " Cultura e salute, la partecipazione culturale come strumento per un nuovo welfare". The guest speaker will be Giuseppina Spano, a Psychologist and researcher at the Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences (Di.S.A.A.T.) of the University of Bari, who will give an introductory key-note speech to present the lecture theme. The presentation will provide the cue for exchange between Romolo Nottaris, Swiss mountaineer, explorer and documentary filmmaker, and Giovanni Pedrazzini, Head of the Cardiology Service of Istituto Cardiocentro and Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of Università della Svizzera italiana.

The meeting will take place from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the Lugano East Campus multipurpose room.

No registration is required to attend the course.

Please note: Access with Covid certificate (16 years and over), mask compulsory. 

Lesson content

For most people, walking along a river, on a forest path, on a mountainside, or on a beach has a relaxing and pleasant effect. Both green space and blue space have the power to make people happier. Until recently, these notions, well known even in the last century when Victorian doctors prescribed "sea air" as a cure for an assortment of anxieties and ailments, were part of common knowledge. Now, however, there is scientific evidence confirming the healing power of pure nature. Thus shinrin-yoku or forest bathing have become general concepts and practices, not only in Japan, for stress management. In fact, the perception of beauty can influence our physical and psychological well-being, generating positive feelings and emotions that can have a beneficial effect on our health.

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Giuseppina Spano

Psychologist and researcher in the relationship between environment and well-being, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences (Di.S.A.T.), University of Bari. www.researchgate.net/profi le/Giuseppina-Spano

Romolo Nottaris

Swiss mountaineer, explorer and documentary filmmaker, he is one of the promoters of the "alpine style". It involves climbing without Sherpas, oxygen masks and pre-installed fixed ropes. It is based on essentiality and therefore seeks the most correct and sustainable encounter between man and mountain. In 1981 he organised the first Swiss ascent of one of the "eight-thousanders", the Gasherbrum II, in the Karakorum. In 1983 he organised the first expedition of Ticino on the Himalayas. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romolo_Nottaris

Giovanni Pedrazzini

Head of the Cardiology Service of Istituto Cardiocentro, where he directed the interventional cardiology service from 1999 to 2017. In 2017, he was invited to join the first group of 5 full professors of the new Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Università della Svizzera italiana. He is the Dean as of 1 January 2021. https://search.usi.ch/en/people/9ead1b5282cc63a30417594bd5aae1ea/pedrazzini-giovanni