The Island of San Giulio: a “Heightened” Heterotopia

The article interprets the Island of San Giulio (Lake Orta, Piedmont) as a contemporary “heightened” heterotopia, produced by the interplay between insularity and Benedictine enclosure. After framing the discussion within recent Island Studies and Foucault’s theory of heterotopia, the research combines theoretical exploration, historical-documentary reconstruction, and direct observation. Applying Foucault’s six principles, the island displays: continuity and metamorphosis of “other” functions; heterochronies linked to monastic rhythms and lacustrine connections; regimes of access and regulated hospitality; the coexistence of eternity/temporality and territorial separation/centrality. Since 1973, the Benedictine community has reactivated material and symbolic heritage, redefining the island as an ordered microcosm that, in various ways, becomes an attractor within the local context. The case shows that heterotopias are not necessarily marginal spaces but may also be relational devices capable of shaping contemporary landscapes and practices.