FRATELLI ALINARI PRIZE
I won the 1st prize UIST & Fratelli Alinari Foundation Award, Florence.
Judged by Oliviero Toscani & Monica Maffioli, Fratelli Alinari Board.
35mm B&W Photography
Judged by Oliviero Toscani & Monica Maffioli, Fratelli Alinari Board.
35mm B&W Photography
I live in London, but I recently hopped on a flight to Perugia, Italy. From there, I grabbed a rental car and just drove — over 1,500 kilometres through Tuscany. It turned out to be more of a journey of discovery than I’d imagined.
Now, it’d be way too easy to go on about Tuscany’s art, history, and natural beauty — the whole world already knows that. What really struck me were the people. Spending time with them showed me that love and devotion aren’t just words there — they’re a way of life, woven into everything they do.
One of the people I met, Doctor Biondi Santi — a true legend — told me, “In the countryside, you’ve got to be able to see things.” Every morning he starts his rounds by putting his hat on the first barrel in the cellar, checking every detail to make sure everything’s perfect for his famous Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino — the original “brunello,” officially recognised way back in 1869. Roberto, who tends the vines, and Michele, who looks after the cellars, share that same quiet passion. You can see it in their eyes — and in their hands, marked by years of work and stories untold.
It’s not about what they do — it’s how they do it. Innovation and tradition aren’t opposites there; they blend together, becoming a signature of true craftsmanship. And those hands — they really say it all.
In Anghiari, at the Sassolini-Busatti textile workshop, even the tools tell stories. There’s an old fork and a bit of olive oil used to soften the raw wool from the land between the Tevere and the Arno — a place you won’t find on Google Maps, but it’s there, on a family map from the 1800s. The looms date back to the Industrial Revolution, filling the room with a steady rhythm, almost like a mantra. Every piece is still finished by hand, by expert women who carry on the tradition.
Then there’s Mr Toccafondi, who inherited one of Tuscany’s oldest print shops, founded in 1880. He told me stories of playing in the courtyard as a kid, while I was drawn to an old sign promising “fine printing at fair prices.” Gianfranco, one of his longtime colleagues, showed me the wooden templates they still use — handling them like treasures. Hands again.
That’s really what I wanted to capture: the people behind these century-old workshops, their faces, their hands, their love and devotion. That’s the real soul of Tuscany.
