Ichtus Magazine Sometimes our minds are elsewhere. Our day jobs keep us hustling, but our passions gently whisper to us. In our next edition of The Mediterranean as Seen by the Mediterraneans, we interviewed creators on what gives them light in their lives and how they express their passion through photography — whether on or off the clock. They share their thoughts on the simple moments that enchant them and their favorite Mediterranean spots in Italy and Spain.
Alessia Morellini
I live and work in Modena, Italy. My life is animated by two passions: photography and travel. While attending university, I began as a self-taught photographer to capture the solitary and aseptic scenarios of the Po Valley, and then I moved my research beyond the national borders. I work as a freelance photographer in the commercial field, but my passion remains travel photography.
I’m a self-taught photographer. I immediately gave up on the idea to enroll in an academy, but I decided to deepen the discipline by consulting essays and photographic books by various authors, first being Luigi Ghirri.
It was a gradual discovery through my father’s old camera; I know it sounds like a clichè. At the beginning it was a joke with him, but when I did my first travels and then saw the result of the film, it all changed. And I started planning small projects instead of just taking random photos.
Soon I’ll publish a book called Summertime Blues thanks to a crowdfunding platform called SelfSelf. The pictures of the book are taken during my last two summers and all the locations are in the Mediterranean area.
My favorite Mediterranean places in Modena, Italy:
- Stay at Casa Maria Luigia, a fantastic hotel and restaurant managed by the chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore
- Shop at Neofilia, a lovely shop of objects and contemporary furnishings
- Explore Mercato Albinelli, a colorful and animated grocery of Emilian food
- Stroll through Piazza Grande e Duomo di Modena
- Watch a show at the Teatro Communale Luciano Pavarotti
Marta González
I’m from Albacete, a small town in La Mancha. Although I’ve lived in Barcelona for many years. There I grew as a graphic designer, and I think this influences my particular vision when I take photographs because of the type of perspectives and shots I look for, knowing how to play with insinuation and photographic retouching. Color is a resource that defines my designs very well. It attracts me strongly, and it’s something that is reflected in my photo style.
I’m mainly inspired by vintage stuff: signs, shops, the doors of houses with a story behind them (which lead me to imagine what life was like for these people), the sea, Catalan Modernism. When living in Barcelona, I realized that I needed to capture all those places and moments and do it in the best possible way, so I decided to fulfill my dream by buying a Leica camera.
My favorite Mediterranean places in Barcelona, Spain:
- Casa Bonay, a hotel with two rooftop spaces and located only a 20-minute walk from La Sagrada Família
- Bar Muy Buenas, Catalan food in the heart of the Raval neighborhood
- La Central del Raval Bookshop, an urban oasis in Barcelona’s historic center
- Sant Pau, a UNESCO World Heritage site that shows the Art Nouveau work of the great architect Domènech i Montaner
- Flowers by Bornay, a kind of urban greenhouse located in an industrial-style building, full of colorful plants
Beatriz Buitron
I was born in a very small town in El Bierzo, a charming region in the north of Spain, but I have been living in Valladolid for 11 years.
In fact, I work as a consultant and auditor for the food industry, but in my free time, I love taking pictures. I remember, when I was a child, looking at the world around me through my father’s camera. I have always wanted to have the superpower of taking pictures with my eyes. Usually, the beauty of the world that surrounds me overwhelms me. So I would like to capture it to enjoy it later, calmly.
The morning light through my living room window, a long road, buildings’ facades in a foreign city, the boats floating on the sea. Every single thing can be inspiring if you look at it through the right lens.
My favorite Mediterranean places in Valladolid, Spain:
- Fuente Aceña Hotel Boutique. This ancient flour mill is located in one of my favorite places of Valladolid, la Ribera del Duero, one of the most important wine regions known as the ‘Golden Mile’.
- Trasto. It is difficult to choose only one restaurant in a city devoted to good food that hosts the National Pinchos and Tapas Competition annually.
- Pintaderas. You can find clothes, books and decor pieces in this store.
- El Patio Herreriano. This contemporary art museum is located in one of the cloisters of the monastery of San Benito, which was built during the Renaissance. There are always interesting exhibitions and, usually at least one of them, about photography. Passages around the museum are narrow and beautiful.
- Canal de Castilla. Once used for transportation, this artificial canal is more than 200 km, or nearly 130 miles, long and shows off Castilla’s landscape.
This article may contain affiliate links, which means the author may earn a commission on included links. All opinions are those of the interviewees.
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Nicolas Lopez
