Narcissus in Val Bregaglia

“Pozzo dei desideri” by Dominik Zehnder is a dystopian paradise, an imaginary passageway between the Church of Nossa Donna and the cantonal road tunnel running beneath it — and at the same time an indictment of the terminal narcissism of our modern age.

Speaking of Narcissus: If the mythical youth — hopelessly in love with his own reflection in the water — were to cross the Val Bregaglia today, he might find himself gazing into a most unusual pool: a 5th-century tomb.

In this ancient burial place, one’s own reflection becomes a memento mori (“remember that you must die”): the water’s surface reveals a grave, serving as a reminder of the transience of our existence.