意大利与波河的变动关系

Volatile Relationship with the Po and Italy

波河是意大利最长的河流,也是对现代社会影响最大的河流,有人称之为"国家之河"。波河流域是意大利的主要工农业区,也是世界上最肥沃的农业区。欧洲河流治理的科学发端于波河之畔,它既是水利工程的摇篮,也是提供美食的最佳河谷。波河所传递的强大的地域特色在更普遍的意义上激发了大量的电影和文学作品创作。在文化方面,波河已经成为意大利的母亲河,它引发了聚合感情、尊重、焦虑、恐惧、愤怒等各种元素的情感反应。波河兼具正义与邪恶力量的双重身份,有"意大利的尼德兰之称"的风险规避和危机适应的两种文化。河流的张力展示人类权威对非人类自然界控制的有限性以及人类的技术实力和破坏流域景观的能力。

Italy's longest river and the most influential of modern times is the Po, which also has some claim to be Italy's national river. The Po valley(Val Padana) is the main artery of Italian industry and agriculture.It is one of the world's most fertile agricultural regions. The science of river control in Europe was born on its banks. This watery cradle of hydraulic engineering is a superlative river of gastronomy as well.And the powerful taste of place the Po transmits more generally has inspired a wealth of filmic and literary representations. In cultural terms, the Po is Il Mississippi italiano, or, Il nostro Old Man River. Within the context of the affection, respect, exasperation, anxiety and fear that the river has engendered, this paper examines these themes: the river's dual identity as a benevolent and malevolent force; the cultures of risk aversion and risk accommodation that have emerged in the 'Italian Netherlands'; and a river's capacity to demonstrate the limits of human authority over non-human nature as well as to show our technological prowess and ability to pollute a fluvial waterscape.