There is something magical at the seaside during the shoulder season. Breathing deeply the salty air as the sun is warming up is a priceless feeling and also the signal that winter is nearly over. With crisp air and beaches almost deserted, on the waterfront you do not meet freaks tan but people who choose the sea as the background of their favorite activities. There are those who can not wait to walk barefoot on the beach, other ones who like to stroll along the seafront, where you can stop at one of many bars, for a good coffe or a snack. In short, whether you have decided for a day of sport or total relaxation, few thing are more refreshing than the scent of the sea and the first rays of warming sun in your eyes...

...that challenges the harshness of the mountains and its slopes, and that connects Italy and Switzerland, which has become the highest alpine transversal in Europe and one of the steepest railway in the world. This extraordinary route begins in Tirano with the famous "Bernina Red Train", and sitting comfortably in panoramic carriages with 360° view, you can climb up the 2253 meters of the Bernina Pass and descend towards St. Moritz, the Engadine 's pearl. I experienced this adventure last weekend with a friend, and apart the nasty and wintry weather (so much snow), I enjoyed every minute of this ride, most of all the beautiful and high efficient Switzerland spas!

When I have some free time, I really enjoy wandering around my hometown, even without a precise destination, perhaps with some friends, just to relax and try to get some good shooting. In the past days I waited for a spring storm to end and then I went out in search of the right light. "Urban frame" is the new photo of the month on my website. Enjoy!

Tech data: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 - Olympus Zuiko ED 14-150 mm f/4-5.6
Location: Parma

Over the years and growin’up as a photographer, become automatic, even when not shooting, to pay attention to all the visual elements around me. Wandering around my hometown or jogging with my dog, in some place of my brain I register the direction of the shadows or the particular shape of a cloud and doesn’t matter if some times I don’t have the camera with me. In this way, my iPhone came to rescue me several times, and did its job very well! “Look, don’t see” is, in some ways, my life. I walk around watching the details, I notice high contrasts and dark shadows, and, if you are a photographer like me, know that our approach to things is different from other people. When you “look, don’t see”, you can certainly try to find a visual solution and try to fix it into your mind or on paper, of the ever changing puzzle that is our world.

Spring equinox passed away not so long ago and after a quick taste of summer, the weather has taken definitely an ugly turn and, never mind the calendar, has returned us into a depressing fall panorama: lead-coloured sky heavy with rain, 12 degrees temperature and the Apennines range on the horizon unusually snow-capped. Looking forward for blue skies and temperatures more appropriate to the period, in the meantime I enjoy a good blended whiskey, some photography books and the company of family and friends.

Duesseldorf - Milan. An hour and a half flight. Just enough time to read reluctantly a newspaper, to consume fat snacks offered by flight attendants and browse the in-flight magazine before landing. But every time I can not avoid taking a snap of the Alps in all their glory on a cold February morning. The amazing white range helps me to get absorbed in my thoughts…until a dull sound brings me back down on Mother Earth.