Wien
I have been to Wien, literally a couple of days, that completely made me fall in love with the city and its heritage.
Elegance, northern-eastern culture, a rich and glorious history, all those characters play the major roles on this play, because Wien is a theatre itself.
You walk, constantly imaging its past, looking back, disappearing from these modern times, and you are suddenly a ghost, in the palaces and huge gardens, where Valzer where played and history was made.
Emilio in a hotel room. Wien, Austria January 2023.
An ode to the Road Trip
I hit the road, through it like never before. My way out to new and old times, metaphorically a jump into a new path I am taking, or perhaps get back the things that I have lost, on the way. Road trips to escape, to lose yourself or to find hidden thoughts, whilst driving along the woods and the mountains and the lakes. I discovered the good feelings of it, self-isolating once again, you’re there traveling through landscapes to get lost within. You’ll see the others, on your same path, seeing the sun raising or setting down, along storms or idyllic awakenings.
Trips from Salzburg to Italy and Germany. Autumn 2022
“Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness” W. Eugene Smith
on a night of work
I have read an incredible interview about the great photographer Paolo Pellegrin. As I intend to have this space as also my sort of scrapbook, I wanted to share few notes.
“There’s this Robert Capa quote—‘If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,’ ” he told me. “Very true! It always comes back to reducing or annulling distance. But that is only part of the equation. The other part is that if you’re not good enough, then you’re not reading enough. And the idea there is that photography is not actually about taking pictures—taking pictures is incidental. It’s a by-product, in a sense, of everything else. What you’re really doing is giving form—photographic form—to a thought, to an opinion, to an understanding of the world, of what is in front of you. And so if we think in these terms, then you have to improve the quality of your thoughts.”
Etiam si ali omnes, ego non—“Even if all others, not I.”
Munich
Who would have said it?
On the last letter, I mentioned the fact that I moved, I did it again. Isn’t this about life? Embracing what life brings you, day by day. I have never been a great planner, maybe this keeps me moving. Somehow, I have always enjoyed staring, waiting, see what happens next, what there will be just around the corner. Dive into the mystery of future and new adventures, exploring new landscapes.
Surfer on the Isar, November Munich 2021
What a year, and what to come?
I moved to Munich, yes, Germany, I know. Although a big part of myself is still in Salzburg,
and just lakes and few snowy peaks separate us.
I don’t hide that the last year has been intense, at times draining. However, I really couldn’t wait this time where I find myself writing this few notes, because these are the notes of the time lived till now, always a time where I stop and put things together, words and images.
A glimpse of my exhibition SALINA: an alchemy of salt at Punctum. Gallery. Reggio Emilia. 06-2021
It’s also the end of the year, that important moment where you’ll look back at what you achieved, but most importantly what you want to change in the year to come. I will embrace resilience and sarcasm; I am fairly doing well in this.
Salzburg:
from the newsletter:
Since my last letter, things have slightly changed, or I should say, moved.
In fact, I reached a gentle town, in the hearth of Europe, where history was made and time seems to be frozen.
Surrounded by snowy peaks and epic nature, the town is reflected in the never still waters of the Salzach, a river that crosses the narrow ancient streets of the old and new town, which is never silent.
I have recently moved to Salzburg, where I will be spending some time, going up and down the Alps, to reach home, a place that still needs to be found.
May 2021.
A photograph which develops in your hands, a unique mix of chemicals, light and paper,
a miracle as any photograph.
∆
Follow the NEW Instagram account Polaroid Collection or visit the web page on the left.
Trough a lockdown
Diario visuale dal lockdown 22.05.2020
Questa è la periferia di Reggio Emilia, un’area a metà tra il centro storico e le colline. Vivo sull’unica strada per l’appennino tosco-emiliano. Il silenzio regna, il silenzio ci confonde, a volte interrotto dalle sirene, dalla natura che ci circonda. Qua oltre il Po, le città laboriose dell’Emilia sono immobili, come se il tempo si fosse fermato. Il lockdown ci ha imposto una nuova vita nel quotidiano di ogni casa; le giornate sono fatte di giochi, storie, e nuovi spazi per riempire i vuoti creati.
Queste fotografie vogliono raccontare raccontano il perimetro giornaliero che abito sto vivendo, un mondo a me vicino, ma che d’un tratto si ripete in maniera sequenziale. Ogni giorno è definito da intense emozioni e momenti speciali, che d’un tratto mutano in sensazioni di incertezza, affanno. Un tempo definito da poche relazioni, nuovi oggetti, distanze e misure di prevenzione. Una vita finora sconosciuta.
A breve sarà online l’intero portfolio..
Talkin' Hawkin
"Speech has allowed the communication of ideas.
Enabling human beings to work together to build the impossibleMankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking.
Our greatest hopes could become reality in the futureWith the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded.
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking"
Stephen Hawking
25.04.2020
Non è stato un giorno come gli altri, il 25 Aprile non è comunque un giorno come gli altri, è un giorno che va ricordato e scalfito nella memoria degli italiani, un popolo purtroppo dalla memoria corta. Il 25 Aprile va festeggiato, oggi l’abbiamo celebrato a casa con i nostri cari, in un momento normale avremmo riempito le piazze e i parchi, questo oggi non è affatto un momento normale, d’altronde i nostri amici combattenti anche loro hanno vissuto un momento eccezionale, che chiaramente ha segnato per sempre la loro vita. La vita è ricca di momenti eccezionali, scelte coraggiose, sacrifici per noi stessi e per gli altri, oggi ci ritroviamo a seguire gli esempi di una generazione che ci ha lasciato un importante compito, un esempio da seguire e raccontare.
Da Lettere di condannati a morte della Resistenza italiana:
What's Photography? Vol.2
A frequent questions to all photographers, myself included, hearing the other people answers, really gives me strength.
Some words from Teju Cole on this week Internazionale, unlikely in Italian only:
From the Archive: Occupy London 15.10.11
The world was angry, the 99%! All of a sudden, he appears from the shadow, he seemed proud, enthusiast, I believe he was happy of seeing thousands of people gathering in the major city of the world, all together for one common message “This system in unsustainable”.
This is a glimpse of the images took in that day. Images from the archive, THE LONDON YEARS.
Mothia. January 2020
“Nel bel mezzo dell’odio ho scoperto in me un invincibile amore.
Nel bel mezzo delle lacrime ho scoperto in me un invincibile sorriso.
Nel bel mezzo del caos ho scoperto in me un’invincibile tranquillità.(…)
Per quanto il mondo possa colpirmi duramente, c’è qualcosa in me di più forte, qualcosa di migliore che restituisce i colpi”.
Albert Camus, “Invincibile estate”
What's Photography? Vol.1 - The Quintessential
What’s the quintessential of a photograph?
I found myself reading a quote in the autobiography of Grazia Neri, who founded one of the most important photo agency in Italy and in the World, extremely respected trough the industry, Grazia launched many young talents and collaborated along the most important photographers of these days, as such as Paolo Pellegrin and James Nachtwey.
Una bella foto risveglia lo spirito e i sensi. Crea meraviglia, produce sentimenti, suoni, profumi, rabbia o piacere. Una mistura magica di forma, contenuto, contesto ed emozioni, che sono determinate dalla storia personale dell’osservatore e dalla sua eredità culturale.
A beautiful photograph awakes the spirit and the senses. Creates marvel, produces emotions, sounds, scents, anger or pleasure. A magical mixture of form, meanings, context and emotions, which are determined by the personal history and cultural heritage of the observer.
The quote is by Robert Pledge, a friend and colleague of Grazia Neri, founder of the prestigious Contact Press image.
Villa D’este. Reggio Emilia Italy, 2020.
the way home
I should’ve taken more notes, but which words would have been better than photographs to describes the beauty of such landscape. It could have a been a simple and rather banal trip, but as being the first time, I found it very fascinating. We are indeed far more used to fly everywhere, often forgetting what was like traveling many years ago, being slow, being touched by the wind and sun, to bath in the darkest night, far away between the sea and the stars. I traveled from Livorno(Tuscany) to my home in Trapani (Sicily), to reach my family over summer. Sunsets, dawns, the people, I will be showing more of this on my site in a new page I am just designing.
Safe travel.
The way home. a small collection of photographs made during a trip, sailing the mediterranean, from Tuscany to Sicily.
The garden at night
I get out to see, how is the sea? Birds wakes us up in the morning. Nocturnal birds while we are sleeping. My father watering the garden, Mario the gardener, makes it an eden. Moonlight, drunk night. The green, isn’t always evergreen. Weather is hot but Emi won’t wear any hat. Im gonna sell this house, my father says, but I reply no way.
Some rhymes which want to blend within some photos that i took in my garden in my hometown, a personal macrocosm, a place where i happily get lost. Sicily August 2019.
p.s. there is an other project, related to the same subject, that i want to show you. just check my newsletter, by subscribing in the “contacts” page, and I will get back to you in the next days.
A letter to Emma, and more.
I am starting to be very influenced by the subject of “nature”, actually I have always been, but I have the feeling that my work is being shaped by this deep interest about the environment trough my personal view.
I found myself devoting the words of Charles Darwin on a letter he writes to his wife Emma Wedgwood
“I canot tell you how much I enjoyed my Maer visit,—I felt in anticipation my future tranquil life: how I do hope you may be as happy as I know I shall be: but it frightens me, as often as I think of what a family you have been one of.— I was thinking this morning how on earth it came, that I, who am fond of talking & am scarcely ever out of spirits, should so entirely rest my notions of happiness on quietness & a good deal of solitude; but I believe the explanation is very simple, & I mention it, because it will give you hopes, that I shall gradually grow less of a brute, —it is that during the five years of my voyage (& indeed I may add these two last) which from the active manner in which they have been passed, may be said to be the commencement of my real life, the whole of my pleasure was derived, from what passed in my mind, whilst admiring views by myself, travelling across the wild desserts or glorious forests, or pacing the deck of the poor little Beagle at night.— Excuse this much egotism,— I give it you, because, I think you will humanize me, & soon teach me there is greater happiness, than building theories, & accumulating facts in silence & solitude.
Sunday Night 20 August 1839”
Charles Darwin ritratto di John Collier