Long before sustainability became a global concern, communities across Europe were developing practical ways to live within the limits of the natural world. "Storia e storie di sostenibilità", a new exhibition presented by the State Archives of Florence and the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), explores this rich history through archival documents spanning the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Open to the public until 29 September 2026, the exhibition brings together contributions from 19 archives in five European countries as part of the Sustainable Archives and Greener Approaches (SAGA) project, funded by Creative Europe.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Paola D'Orsi, Director of the State Archives of Florence, and Dieter Schlenker, Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union. They were joined by local curators Cristina Tani (State Archives of Florence), and Mattia Torelli and Jacopo Cellini (HAEU), who introduced the many visitors to the exhibition's principal themes and some of the remarkable archival treasures on display.
Created within the framework of the SAGA project and co-funded by the European Union, the exhibition is the result of a collaborative effort involving 19 archives from five European countries. Each participating archive contributed documents and stories from its own collections, creating a shared narrative that highlights the many ways communities have sought to live sustainably across the centuries. The SAGA project promotes sustainability in the archival sector while strengthening the protection of documentary heritage from the impacts of climate change, natural and human-made disasters, and other risks.
Across 14 thematic panels, "Stories and History of Sustainability" explores how people managed natural resources—from forests, water and minerals to crops, livestock and renewable energy—long before the modern environmental movement. Through maps, contracts, inventories, manuals, and records of everyday life, the exhibition reveals how communities adapted to changing circumstances, balanced human needs with finite resources, and developed practical solutions to environmental challenges. Together, these stories demonstrate that sustainability was not a modern invention but a necessity that shaped everyday life for centuries. The content and lay-out of the panels was coordinated by the National Archives of Hungary, one of the SAGA partners.
The panel exhibit is enhanced by display cases featuring original documents from the collections of the State Archives of Florence and the HAEU. Beautifully preserved manuscripts, maps, architectural and technical drawings, administrative records, and historical artefacts—some dating back several centuries—offer visitors the rare opportunity to encounter the original sources behind the stories told in the exhibition.
The State Archives of Florence contributed a significant selection of documents highlighting Tuscany's economic, productive, and environmental history. These materials illustrate how local communities made use of natural resources, managed the landscape, and responded to environmental, economic, and social challenges over the centuries, enriching the exhibition with perspectives from the region's documentary heritage.
The HAEU contributed documents and photographs from the archives of the European institutions, illustrating how European cooperation and policymaking have shaped many of the issues explored in the exhibition over recent decades. These records trace the growing role of the European Union in areas such as environmental protection, sustainable development, agriculture, energy, and the management of natural resources, complementing the historical perspectives presented by the partner archives.
Reflecting on the exhibition, Jacopo Cellini, historian and research fellow at the HAEU, observed:
"This exhibition invites us to reflect on one of the defining challenges of our time: how to ensure a sustainable future for the people of our planet in an era of climate change. It does so by looking to the past, exploring how humanity has used natural resources and sought to maintain an ever-fragile balance between progress and sustainability. These stories, drawn from different parts of Europe, testify both to human ingenuity and creativity and to the enduring value of the archives that preserve them and make them accessible to the public."
A travelling European exhibition
Following its presentation in Florence, made possible through the collaboration between the Historical Archives of the European Union and the State Archives of Florence, the exhibition will also be translated and installed in archival institutions in Spain, Hungary, Malta, and Portugal.
QR codes throughout the exhibition provide access to a virtual exhibition featuring additional historical context, digitised documents, and many more stories drawn from the participating archives, allowing visitors to explore the wider documentary heritage behind the exhibition panels.
The Florence exhibit is presented in the Italian language.
A second travelling exhibition developed within the SAGA project, "Fragile and Resilient: Archives and Disasters", coordinated by the National Archives of Malta, will open in 2027.