Photography, for me, is more than just a shot.
It is a powerful medium to tell a story, to freeze a moment and give it a meaning that goes beyond mere aesthetics. Every image, if observed carefully, can whisper emotions, evoke memories, and paint situations that extend beyond what is visible. This is what I strive to do with every photo: to tell a story.
The cold December dawn in Rome
It was a morning in December 2023, one of those cold post-Christmas dawns when the air feels sharp yet crystal-clear, ideal for photography. I woke up with the idea of capturing the Christmas tree in Piazza di Spagna, a symbol of Rome’s festive season. But, as often happens, plans change, leading me to unexpected places. That morning concluded at Piazza del Popolo, one of the squares I had always wanted to photograph.
There was a unique atmosphere: the sky was painted with delicate dawn colors, with warm hues contrasting with the cold air. The square, still sparsely crowded, exuded a surreal peace rarely found in a bustling city like Rome. It was the perfect moment.
An iconic place and its morning stories
Dawns in a city like Rome tell the beginning of the working day: in winter, when the sun rises later, it’s easy to encounter people already on the move, heading to work. There’s something fascinating about these moments: a sort of shared solitude. Faces covered by coats, heads lowered to shield against the cold, the smoke of a cigarette dissolving into the chilly air. It’s a simple yet incredibly meaningful scene, a small fragment of daily life.
Piazza del Popolo lies in the heart of Rome, a crossroads between Piazzale Flaminio, where the metro station is located, and the elegant Via del Corso. Here, it’s common to see people coming out of the Metro and heading to work.
The story behind the photo
That morning, at Piazza del Popolo, I stopped to observe. The sky, bursting into a dawn of warm and golden colors, provided the perfect backdrop to the majesty of the square. But what struck me the most was not just the architectural beauty or the interplay of light, but the flow of people.
I wanted to capture that moment when the silence of the square blended with the swift, discreet footsteps of those heading to work. A solitary figure, lost in thought, with their body leaning forward into the day ahead, represented everything I wanted to narrate. I took this photo not only to immortalize the square and the dawn but to tell this story: the contrast between the eternal grandeur of the city and the fleeting nature of everyday gestures, like a small parenthesis in the greatness of Rome.
