PROCIDA, ITALY - 2025
The timeless island of Procida, in the Bay of Naples, has caught the eye of film directors of stature. Anthony Minghella was drawn to it and made full use of it in The Talented Mr Ripley and in the same era, Il Postino: The Postman was shot almost entirely on the island.
I like the island, not just for its worn facades or the artisan life that defines it, but because there is a strong sense of place in almost every location. The still camera can capture that vibe in a single frame, which is quite rare and always encourages me.
This little street - used by Minghella - caught my eye because the camera lens must point up as the road is on a steep slope. This allows for a wider narrative behind the subject and if we travel to somewhere as special as Procida, we want to include as much context as possible. A road with a steep incline is almost always good news.
In the first 58 years of my life, I never traveled to Procida and then, in the space of eight months, I went there five times. Someone tracking my movements - and thankfully I don’t think anyone is bored enough or interested enough to do so - would suspect something was up. They would be right, though it was nothing more than a new obsession - like a dog with a new bone. I knew there was stuff to do here, and I needed to let it all soak in.
Alessandra Ambrosio nailed her role as "The girl on the vespa”, but this was far from her first rodeo, and even at 06.20 am she looks too good to be true. Everything else was intuitive - including, of course, a Maradona shirt on the laundry line. That shirt is part of every street in the Bay of Naples.