Marcello Ruvidotti retraces grandparents' wartime love through photography
After the passing of his grandmother, photographer Marcello Ruvidotti (born 1991 in Casorate Primo, Italy) discovered letters that unveiled his grandfather's wartime exchanges while serving as a soldier on the Albanian front in 1941. In 2017, he journeyed to the sites mentioned in these letters, traversing Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, and Montenegro. His project, titled "A puro caso," explores the landscapes from the Balkans to Greece, chronicling his grandfather's time in a Nazi camp and subsequent escape to Italy. Ruvidotti, who studied photography at C.F.P. Bauer in Milan (2013), has previously worked on projects like "Correndo nei boschi," which garnered accolades at the International Photography Awards 2013. The initial phase of his project is now showcased, with future plans to extend into northern Greece, following letters from 1942-43.
Key facts
- Marcello Ruvidotti found a box of letters after his grandmother's death, revealing a wartime correspondence from 1941.
- The letters were exchanged between his grandmother and grandfather, a soldier sent to the Albanian front during the Epiro campaign.
- In 2017, Ruvidotti traveled with friends to retrace his grandfather's route through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, and Montenegro.
- The project 'A puro caso' documents landscapes from the Balkans to Greece, including a Nazi concentration camp and escape to Italy.
- Ruvidotti studied photography at C.F.P. Bauer in Milan, graduating in 2013.
- His earlier project 'Correndo nei boschi' about the No TAV movement received two honorable mentions at International Photography Awards 2013.
- He participated in 'OIGO – The Third Island' (2015) curated by Antonio Ottomanelli, exhibited at Triennale di Milano and Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome.
- The project's first phase is presented, with future plans to explore northern Greece near Salonicco.
Entities
Artists
- Marcello Ruvidotti
- Antonio Ottomanelli
Institutions
- Artribune Magazine
- C.F.P. Bauer di Milano
- International Photography Awards
- SI Fest
- Triennale di Milano
- Istituto Centrale per la Grafica di Roma
- Planar Books
Locations
- Casorate Primo
- Italy
- Milan
- Albania
- Epiro
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Bosnia
- Montenegro
- Greece
- Salonicco
- Valle di Susa
- Savignano
- L'Aquila
- Rome