scorci

Scorcio is an Italian noun meaning a brief, often picturesque glimpse or fragment of a scene, especially an urban or rural landscape. The plural scorci refers to multiple such glimpses. The term derives from scorgere, to descry or catch sight, and conveys immediacy and partiality rather than a full, panoramic view.

In Italian usage, scorcio appears in literature, travel writing, art criticism, and everyday speech to describe a momentary view or a particular angle of a place. Common collocations include scorcio di città and scorcio di paesaggio. In visual arts and photography, scorcio can denote a fragmentary composition that emphasizes light, color, and perspective over a complete scene; in cinema or photo sequences, it may signal a fleeting cut or shot intended to evoke mood.

In English-language contexts, scorci is sometimes borrowed to evoke a distinctly Italian notion of a fleeting view, though it remains relatively uncommon outside discussions of Italian art and travel writing. Related Italian terms include veduta (view), panorama (panorama), and vista (view), with scorcio highlighting partiality and a momentary glimpse.