Marco

My name is Marco -- and yes, I am Italian. Born in Bologna, I grew up between the smell of fresh pasta and the noise of old mopeds on cobblestone streets. It was there, at seven years old, that my grandfather first put a film camera in my hands and said: "Look more carefully than you think." I have never been able to stop.

I took my first real trip in 2011 -- I boarded a train in Bologna and rode it all the way to Istanbul without a single hotel booked in advance. Three weeks, a 28-liter backpack, and two rolls of Kodak Gold. That was when I understood: the world does not end where the map ends. That is where it begins.

Since then I have traveled to more than 60 countries. I photographed the sunrise over Angkor Wat at 4 in the morning in a downpour. I froze in a tent on the Pamir plateau at minus eighteen degrees. I ate street food in Karachi and drank tea with shepherds in Ethiopia. Every trip leaves something specific behind: a smell, a shot, a conversation in broken shared language. That is something no travel package can ever buy.

Photography is not decoration for a trip, as far as I am concerned. It is a reason to stop and see what everyone else walked right past. I shoot on film and digital, I love the light in the hour before sunset, and I love the faces of people who do not know I am watching. On this site I collect routes, photographs, and honest notes with no gloss.

If you are looking for inspiration, a specific itinerary, or just want to talk about the Balkans in the off-season -- write to me. I reply to everyone. It takes longer than it sounds, but I am Italian. We are good at that.