Gargano Promontory in Carpino, Italy
With my pictures I want to capture the essence of my country, its wildness and the result of man/nature relationship over the centuries.
Place you live: Carpino, Italy
Place your photos were taken? Gargano Promontory, Italy
Can you sum up Gargano Promontory? The Gargano Promontory appears as a ‘spur’ on the heel of Italy, a region of picturesque limestone hills cloaked with beech and oak forests which provide one of the richest botanical habitats in Europe. Gargano has been populated since Paleolithic times but recent history dates from the region’s conquest by the Romans, which led to the establishment of Siponto and Vieste as major Adriatic ports. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the drop in population and consequent reduction in agriculture allowed wilderness to invade land formerly preserved for cultivation. The cult of the Archangel Michael, said to have miraculously appeared at the end of the fifth century, helped stop this trend and Monte Sant’Angelo became an almost compulsory stop for pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. New settlements followed and fromthe fifteenth century onwards the Gargano was continually split up among a number of feudal lords, including latterly the Grimaldis. This state of affairs continued until the Unification of Italy. In the summer, the coastline of the promontory, washed by the blue waters of the Adriatic, is a popular holiday area but in the spring, we will have it largely to ourselves.
Occupation: Undergraduate
Preoccupation: Hiking, caving, history of the Gargano, the study of intangible heritage.
A perfect day in Gargano? Early September, just before sunset, there is a special light.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? You must visit the Umbra Forest, must eat Carpino beans and Caciocavallo Podolico. Also go to the cave of St. Michael and see a sunset over Lake Varano.
A perfect meal local to your area? Caciocavallo podolico (a cheese), Carpino’s beans (they are very special), Lake Lesina Eel, and more. Where? In the narrow streets of the historical center … the locals welcome you into their homes.
What is the best thing about your spot? Nature and the authenticity.
What is the worst? The current relationship between man and nature and the future of it for young people… nature may not exist soon.
A little known fact about where you live? Peschici, in the Gargano, is the only city in Europe where the sun rises and sets on the sea.
Where is your favorite place in the world? My homeland
Who are your three favorite photographers? Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Franco Fontana