Civitavecchia, It's All About Love: beyond the pictures

A show not to be missed! This is the first impression that accompanies us when we go down the stairs of the Library of Fort Michelangelo back from the visit to the photographic exhibition "It's All About Love".

Stefano Lotumolo is a superb photographer, an authentic natural talent.

Mirko Petrini is a director and a writer. Dazzled by a photo taken by Stefano he decided that he wanted to meet the author. He went to a show, there was chemistry and after 4 days he was on the road on Stefano's old Wolkswagen van.

The two recent Tuscan friends undertook "an Italian tour making photographic exhibitions in various cities living in an old Wolkswagen van" which will end in October 2018 after 6 months of trips, transfers and meetings. In the middle, in August ,there will be the trip to Tanzania to film "It's all about love - go on your own trip".

The Exhibition at Fort Michelangelo

From Monday 30 June (2018) "It's all about love" can be visited in Civitavecchia, precisely at the Library of Fort Michelangelo in the Historic Port. The show has free admission and will end on Sunday 8 July (2018). The 83 photographies shown have been taken by Stefano Lotumolo in the last 2 years travelling around the world including Asia, Africa and Europe. The artist means to express through his pictures the idea of diversity seen as an added value rather than a limit.

"You will have the opportunity to take a nice ride around the world without getting on any plane. With my works I want to emphasize how important diversity is in this delicate moment we are living" says the author.

The exhibition, made with the patronage of the municipality of Civitavecchia and thanks to the collaboration and the availability of the Harbor Office is open from 9.30 to 12.00 and from 15.30 to 20.00 on weekdays and until 22.00 during the holidays.

THE INTERVIEW: BETWEEN DREAMS AND REAL LIFE

We have talked to Stefano and Mirko, available people and with a vision of life as simple as clear and linear.

Interviewer: Tell us Mirko, how did you meet and how was the idea of the film born?
Mirko Petrini: One day, some months ago, my son showed me a picture by Stefano. In those days he was having an exhibition close to where I live. In short, it was love at first sight. I felt the urge to meet him and talk to him.

4 days later I was on the road with Stefano starting the tour. The idea for the film appeared spontaneously as a consequence of our ideas. The title of the film will be “It's all about love, take your own journey” and it will be a biopic rather than an adventure film. It will tell the true story of Stefano, whose life intertwines with Philipo, a young Masai boy hampered in his love for a girl.

The film is a trip into diversity, with cross sections of seemingly distant mentalities, cultures and ways of thinking, by united by the deepest good hidden in the soul. 

Interviewer: Where will you be filming? girerete le riprese
Mirko Petrini: In Tanzania, Ruanda and Italy

Interviewer: Stefano, how did you develop this passion for photography?
Stefano Lotumolo: Everything started at a Safari in Africa. At the first trip I didn't have a camera. I borrowed one from a friend of mine. After a while I was using a 70-200 of a French friend. During my second important trip, to Asia, I got my own camera.

Interviewer: How are your pictures born?
Stefano Lotumolo: Many are spontaneous, in “It's about love”, for instance, there are few close-ups and "organised" pictures. Most are taken on the spot, some even with movement. I have never studied photography nor photography techniques, I let myself be inspirared by the moment. There is not a secret, but getting to know people, talking to them and connecting with their communities.

Interviewer: Future projects?
Stefano Lotumolo: The tour ends in October, in the middle we will be filming and there are also two important events: one in New York for a collaboration at a musical project and one at Marzameni (in Sicily) for the Cinefestival Internazionale di Frontiera. From November we will start again, I would like to travel through South America next time.

Interviewer: How is this tour going? How do you manage to balance the accounts?
Stefano Lotumolo: It is hard but thrilling and fascinating. It is also very challenging due to every person that pass by and congratulate us. We feel like we are handling a bomb about to explode and these keeps us highly motivated. The accounts, what can we say? Admission is free, but photographies are for sale. Also, at every exhibition our tee-shirts are for sale and some people support us with a donation. Of course, costs are high, in fact, in the next tours admission will have an unexpensive fee (€2).

Interviewer: Do you have a dream? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Stefano Lotumolo: My dream is to learn, I want to learn.

Interviewer: In the last two years you have travel around the world, how do you see it? How do you feel?
Stefano Lotumolo: We live in a completely unbalanced situation. These days I hear people saying they would pay to get Ronaldo play at the Juve and I can only think of the children in Myanmar or how difficult it is to survive in Nepal. History teaches us that Nature always brings balance and order. With this show, in my own small way, I mean to highlight the importance of diversity as a positive value in this delicate historic time we are living.

You can meet and talk to the author and the director at the entrance of the exhibition.

Its all about love is based on love and diversity and, in these particular historic and political times, we believe it is a project to be praised and promoted. If you have one or two hours available, it would be a pity if you missed this chance for cultural growth.