In the North of Italy, on the eastern bank of Lake Maggiore, there is a European Union Joint Research Centre. It is a scientific centre of the highest quality and reputation. I was delighted with the opportunity to work there for a week, in the realm of engineers and forests. Given the tight work schedule, photo opportunities were constrained to dawn and dusk. Fortunately, days are long and the weather is splendid in August.

Ispra is a town for leisure and retired people where life doesn't run: it strolls. Only the few children run pushed by the urgency of discovery. Adults greet each other on the streets, chat in balconies, esplanades or the church square. Life unfolds gently in a routine of walking the dogs - and how many dogs are there! - working in the garden, napping in the afternoon and gossiping with neighbours on the doorsteps in the evening.

By the lake, there are people whispering while they fish. In spite of the breeze, the sun is hot. From time to time, someone jumps into the water or a wind surfer sails along the shores. On the other side, the intercity train from Switzerland to Milan whistles in the air. In the forests around the lake, lovers and joggers seek freshness and silence, shattered only by the cracking of leaves under the feet. Inside the woods, there are superb villas with swimming pools, huge garages and wide view of the lake, hidden from indiscretion by steel gates and surveillance cameras.

The density of the forest suggests the weather is not always so mild. In fact, from October to April, rain and snow soak the pre-Alps region, nurturing the land with green and the people with the fruits of the land. In this last week of August, life holds its breath for a second before the rush of school time, work routine and grey days.

Let's seize it !

I N T R O D U C T I O N
2003, Joao Gomes Mota