Are you dreaming about a rural wedding in Sardinia? Have a look to this!
“…and he remembered that amongst the ashes, sparks often ignite, the seeds of a luminous and purifying flame, and he hoped, and still loved life.”
This is my wish for Lollove and for Sardinia.
I was born in Nuoro, my mother is from Desulo and my father from Teti, two small villages near Nuoro. Everytime that I photograph a wedding in the middle of Sardinia, the moment that I breathe in that intoxicatingly scented air, my mind goes back to when I was a child. Suddenly I see Desulo’s narrow streets and it’s stone walls, I smell the scent of bread baking, my fingers digging the mud between the stones in those walls. I recall sneaking into old abandoned (and dangerous) houses with my older brother and other kids from the village, it was such an adventure! I clearly remember walking with my Grandpa at the crack of dawn, going to ‘tzita bobore’, his field in Teti where he used to grow all sorts of vegetables and vines. My older brother and I used to spend our time playing with tadpoles in water.
Now that I am 37, I understand the value of a childhood spent in nature, and why at any age, we feel good when we are surrounded by as wild a place as Sardinia. Our minds can rest and our bodies feel regenerated.
When my colleague Antonio Patta and I decided to organise a styled shoot in Lollove, we went first to have a look. As soon as we arrived, I felt a strong mix of emotions. I was completely enthralled by it’s mystery, poetry, silence and history. I started to listed to audio books by Grazia Deledda, some of those novels are inspired by and set in Lollove. Slowly, images started to form in my mind.
A few months ago, we assembled the best ever wedding team! This included Donatella Ciusa’s Giro di Giostra, Egidia Carta & Battistino Menneas’ Montiblu and Teresa Formisa’s Chezi Domi. We discussed the dream of creating a unique and authentic rural wedding in Sardinia.
I’m not good with words but they were very proactive and they immediately understood what we were trying to do. We had the honour to photograph two amazing people, Massimiliano Mele, a nature lover and hiker amongst his many talents, and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful girls from Nuoro, Laura Carrossino. I tried to photograph her in the past, she always said no, but this time, as soon as she heard the word ‘Lollove’, she changed her mind! This is the music of life, when you feel that you belong to a place.
So, here you can see my work and all of the team’s efforts. I really hope that these photos will act like those sparks, igniting the flame of life in the centre of Sardinia, deservedly so.
After what you have glimpsed in the newspapers please allow me to say, “I Lollove you!”
Here the photos: rural wedding in Sardinia
Credits:
Project name : Rural wedding in Sardinia
With Patrocinio Comune di Nuoro – special thanks to Valeria Romagna
Video Maker Chiara Mela here you can see her work about Lollove
Wedding planning Giro di Giostra e Montiblu
Catering Montiblu
Make up and Hair dresser Chez Domi
Bridal Dress Elisabetta Delogu
Groom Outfit Sartoria Pinu
Models Laura Carossino, Massimiliano Mele, Badora Piredda and Battistino Menneas
Location Lollove – special thanks to Annamaria Cicalò
Video Editor Javier Mariscal Ariza
Voice M. Pasqua Murgia / Flavie Prieux
Translations: Sarah Toland and Paolo Berria
extras:
Franco Corrias, Giuseppe Corrias, Serafino Menneas, Elias Rubeddu, Luciano Succu, Guerino Manca