Memories

“No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.” (Haruki Murakami, “Kafka on the Shore”) 

Do you have a photograph that you are particularly fond of, one that represents an equally important moment in your life?

Last night I came across an Instagram story from ColoriVivaciMagazine, whose great creativity is always inspiring (thank you!). This story was about a sunset, and it triggered a specific memory in my mind. It was July 10, 2010, and after an absence of a few years, I was finally returning to Bari for a short vacation. I brought my digital camera with me for the first time, and I couldn't wait to take a drive by the sea to smell that unmistakable smell again.

I drove a few kilometers north, probably as far as Giovinazzo, and then returned to the city, always skirting the sea. The sunset spectacle, with the people of Bari crowding the waterfront, exceeded all my expectations and warmed my heart.

This is one of my first digital photographs taken in Puglia, and it will forever remain one of my favorites. I remember that many years earlier I had taken a similar photo with a film camera, almost from the same position, and that too had incredible colors. I wonder if I can find it again somewhere.