uigi is a freelance photographer specialized in black & white photography living in Milan and Sardegna Island. Born on 1979 in Sardegna he cooperate with various fashion magazines and reviews. Thanks his friendship with photographers Francesco Licata and Loris Tassinari he start to work in fashion advertising with clients as Gucci, Mc Kenzy, Fiat etc. Also cooperating with Filmmaster to the production of commercials for Tim, Maxibon, Whirlpool, Roncato, Wind, Balboa advertising and other clients as Capitalia Banking Group, LexusRed Bull, Tiscali and Lancaster. Luigi is also a surfer, so of course he make a lot of cool pictures about surfing. We invite you to visit his website below to see mor of his work. He love to shot portraits of famous and not famous people. That’s the reason he was involved in the 100 CENTENARIANS project by Silvana Editoriale. A very huge and beautiful work that convinced us to introduce Luigi inside our selection of the world best photographers. You can have a snack of this portraits here below, but we really invite you to buy this rare and beautiful book and appreciate the full work (220 pages) available on the editor website below.
“In the winter you find them sitting in front of the fireplace looking intently at the fire with the same wonder you see in a child’s eyes; in the summer they are sitting in the garden contemplating the thousands of colors in front of them: this is the image I get most of the time I go to visit them. I have always been amazed by the elderly; I have always thought of them as resources, holders of knowledge that only time can teach.
Lately you hear talk of centenarians, and in particular in Sardinia, who have become subject to studies by geneticists, sociologists and scientists all over the world. But who are these people really? What is the secret to such longevity that has allowed these people to live over the arch of two centuries? From here comes the idea of giving them a face, the idea of revealing their identity, exposing them through photography.
A job that is possible only now, in this very moment, seeing how they have been the witnesses to a sole passage in the history of mankind. The centenarians found in this book are all documented. In fact not only are they registered legally but their exact dates of birth can also be verified in the church archives. One of the most complicated things in completing this project was tracking down all the centenarians: it took almost two years to take the one hundred pictures you see here.I obtained contacts in many different ways with the most effective by pinpointing the places where they lived.
I would look for a person who could give me a name of an inhabitant who was a hundred years or older, or I would personally go to the place and ask the people. Seeing centenarians are considered true stars in their villages; everybody knows who they are, and I readily received the information in order to contact them. The richer zones in finding centenarians are situated inside the island and, more precisely, in the regions of Barbagia, Ogliastra, Trexenta and in the Middle Campidano. Most of the living centenarians live with their families; few live on their own, and a small number live in nursing homes. Not all were married, and some of them, unfortunately, do not have anyone to take care of them. Family has a fundamental role in the possibility of living such a long life: the fact of still feeling important, being the center of attention and head of a family, makes them active and gives them the strength to move ahead.
Crossing the centuries is the result of so many variables all put together. First of all, genetic characteristics. In fact, it has been proven that longevity comes from family and several of the centenarians who I interviewed remember a close relative who was close to or over a hundred years old. Another fact that emerged from my research is that all of the centenarians worked tirelessly in the course of their lives. Another key factor is nutrition: not one of them goes beyond the pleasures of the table and their diet is quite varied: from milk, to legumes, to vegetables, pasta, meat and fish; often with wine at meal times.
Another fundamental ingredient is their strong belief in God, an extraordinary value that has helped these people in the hardest moments, allowing them to surpass dramatic vicissitudes such as war, scarcities and deaths of family members. The life of the centenarian, more than a life rich of work, sacrifice and belief, for many was, and still is, an existence lived to its fullest.
They do not lack in adventurous episodes, incredible declarations, fearless journeys. One of the most extraordinary things is that all of the centenarians that I met enjoy their excellent health, do not take medicine (maybe half a pill for high blood pressure); they are astoundingly lucid, often read without glasses and continue to do what they have always done – like the one who still goes around on a bicycle. But the most astonishing thing of all, in my opinion, is the secret in reaching one hundred years or more: in their everlasting vitality, their indescribable desire to live, and their capacity to fight and never stop for anything” ( Luigi Corda ).
www.100centenari.it
www.luigicorda.it
www.glisbo.com
www.silvanaeditoriale.it
