The places where I was born and grew up in, Ferentillo and the Valnerina, are my own personal Spoon River. A human and natural Eden where I have seen people working hard in the fields and in the steelworks. It is perhaps out of respect for them, that when someone asks me about my work, I often cite the words of Marcello Mastroianni who replied to the same question, “it’s always better than working.” I remember almost all of them: Maria, Fulvio, Amleto, Carlino, Lola, Lina, Ezio… they too sleep on the hill.

This is a little-trodden territory which, however, did not fail to enchant the travelers and artists of the Grand Tour, being as it is studded with hidden treasures and wonderful surprises: from the trails that accompany the Nera to the Marmore Falls, to the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria in the village of Mattarella, or that of Santo Stefano in Precetto, to the castle of Umbriano and the ancient Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, which I believe fully encapsulate the remote and solitary spirit of these places.