10 Contemporary Italian Photographers You Should Know

Graziano Scaldaferri

Over recent decades, Italy has produced some of the world’s finest photojournalists, who have won photography’s highest international plaudits. However, the Italian photography community also numbers several fine art photographers who, inspired by Italy’s multifaceted landscape and culture, have created outstanding work. From photojournalists to fine art photographers, read our list to discover Italy’s 10 best contemporary photographers.

Gianni Berengo Gardin

What did Italians look like just after World War II? Gianni Berengo Gardin‘s immense photographic archive holds the answer. Sometimes dubbed as the Italian Henri Cartier-Bresson for his lyrical, poetic photography, Berengo Gardin (b. 1930) has chronicled the life of the Italian people in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. He witnessed them at work and in their free time, amassing an invaluable archive of a particularly prosperous era in Italy’s history. But this master photographer also engaged in more focused, dramatic documentary projects. The most important dates back to 1968, when he journeyed through several psychiatric asylums and took pictures that helped accelerating the closure of such institutions in Italy, a historic event in the country’s recent past.

speech icon man in bubble

Destinations Unlocked:

Let our travel expert Stefano help you find your perfect Culture trip

Looking for an expert's perspective?

Uncover my top 3 recommended places from each continent on the map.
speech icon man in bubble
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

GORGEOUS GUATEMALA

Gorgeous Guatemala

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

1. Guatemala

An express adventure for those with limited time off. Prepare yourself incredible experiences. You will hike a volcano, visit mayan temples and witness a ceremony and take in beautiful colonial Antigua.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

BEACHY BELIZE

Beachy Belize

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

2. Belize

A quick trip not too far away for those seeking a relaxing mini break. You will have plenty of free time to relax but also some awesome activities to experience the rainforest and the caribbean sea.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

COLONIAL MEXICO

Colonial Mexico

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

3. Mexico

An exciting mini trip exploring the lesser known colonial towns of central Mexico. This is hte perfect trip for someone with limited time off and still wants to turn on explorer mode and do something different.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

SouthAmerica

ADVENTUROUS ECUADOR

Adventurous Ecuador

8 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Ecuador

A remarkable 8 days adventure through the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. The best choice for adventure seekers wishing to visit the 2 most iconic areas of South America, in only 1 week and no flights.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

SouthAmerica

ANCIENT PERU

Ancient Peru

9 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Peru

An alternative itinerary to classic Peru, from Cusco to Arequipa. This itinerary is great combination of highlights Cusco and Machu Picchu with the lesser known Arequipa and Colca Canyon.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Europe

SEDUCTIVE SOUTHERN ITALY

Seductive Southern Italy

10 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Italy

The ultimate Italian experience from the vibrant streets of Naples to the breathtaking sceneries of the Amalfi Coast followed by Matera and down to Puglia with its golden beaches, intense flavours and fascinating destinations.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Europe

EDINBURGH AND THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS BY TRAIN

Edinburgh And The Scottish Highlands By Train

7 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

2. Scotland

Embark on this great adventure starting from London all the way to Scotland with a true Scottish experience made of breathtaking sceneries, whisky tasting and ..lots of fun! Ideal for train lovers and explorers.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Europe

COMPLETE PORTUGAL BY TRAIN

Complete Portugal By Train

8 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

3. Portugal

A wonderful train journey around Portugal, from the romantic city of Porto to the Douro Valley, to the beautiful Aveiro all the way to Lisbon and Sintra. The perfect trip to train, culinary and culture lovers.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Asia

SOULFUL SOUTH KOREA

Soulful South Korea

10 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. South Korea

Discover incredible temples, mountains and modern cities on this 10 day adventure. This trip is perfect for those seeking immersion in the cuisine, culture and natural wonders of South Korea.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Asia

THAILAND, CAMBODIA & VIETNAM

Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam

11 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Thailand

From Bankgok to Angkor Wat to Ho Chi Minh City and everything in between - adventure through the heart of South-East Asia. Taste the delights, see history brought to life and unwind on a Mekong River cruise.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Asia

SECRETS OF SRI LANKA BY TRAIN

Secrets Of Sri Lanka By Train

10 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

3. Sri Lanka

A fantastic adventure that showcases Sri Lanka's fantastic landscapes, wildlife and flavours. With 3 epic rail journeys, 3 UNESCO heritage sites and time to relax, this trip has loads to offer at a great price
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Africa

EPIC MOROCCO

Epic Morocco

11 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Morocco

An epic journey across Morocco: from Casablanca to Marrakech, through the blue city of Chefchaouen to the wonders of the desert and deep to the High Atlas Mountains - this trip has it all! Ideal for true explorers!

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Africa

ULTIMATE EGYPT

Ultimate Egypt

9 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Egypt

From Cairo to Aswan, this trip brings the land of the pharaohs to life. You'll visit the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple and cruise down the Nile in style. This is the perfect way to explore Egypt.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Africa

IMMERSIVE KENYA

Immersive Kenya

8 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

3. Kenya

An immersive blend of culture and wildlife for first time travelers to Africa. Learn about Nairobi, sample local coffee in the Aberdares and finish up with a fantastic safari stay in the Masai Mara.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

Mimmo Jodice

Mimmo Jodice was never really interested in using the camera to document reality, even when, in his first years as a photographer, that’s exactly what he did. His early work captures stories in his native city, Naples, but Jodice’s attention for the formal qualities of an image and photography’s potential to create – not only to record – is already present. This trait became progressively stronger as the years went by, and led Jodice, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, to take beautiful, evocative images that invite purely aesthetic enjoyment. One of his best known series, Mediterraneo, features visionary, unique pictures of Greco-Roman statues and temples in the area of Naples, the city that inspired most of his best work.

Paolo Pellegrin

With ten World Press Photo Awards, a Robert Capa Gold Medal, a Dr. Erich Solomon Prize, a Leica Medal of Excellence and countless more awards and recognitions under his belt, Paolo Pellegrin, 54, is Italy’s leading contemporary photojournalist. ‘I’m more interested in a photography that is “unfinished” – a photography that is suggestive and can trigger a conversation or a dialogue,’ he says. A Magnum photographer, Pellegrin has contributed to bringing a less straightforward and more subjective approach to war photography, with his dark, blurry pictures that, far from being bad photographs, rather emphasise the drama of conflict.

Oliviero Toscani

Provocative could well be the middle name of Oliviero Toscani, a fashion and advertising photographer who works with leading international brands. His most brilliant creations were made for Benetton, the Italian clothing company, and stirred indignant reactions more often than not. In 1981, he photographed a nun giving a chaste kiss to a priest. For a campaign centered on fighting racism, Toscani created the picture of a black woman breast-feeding a white baby; and that of three human hearts, lying on a table, labeled as white, black and yellow. An ad for the Jesus jeans featured the close-up of a woman’s bottom, wearing short jeans – the line reads ‘Who loves me, follows me’.

Letizia Battaglia

Letizia Battaglia is a courageous photographer. She is known as ‘the photographer of the Mafia’ because she has photographed that particular criminal world for years, and during its most cruel, bloody era – the 1980s and the early 1990s. Magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the two most prominent figures killed by the Mafia in 1992, were both friends of Battaglia’s. Her gruesome pictures show bodies of murdered men lying on the street, Mafia men being arrested, and the relatives of those killed while fighting the organisation in the grip of grief. Letizia Battaglia’s documentation of that critical phase in Italy’s modern history is a unique record that has become an indelible part of the nation’s collective memory.

Massimo Vitali

You can tell a photograph by Massimo Vitali from a thousand. It will likely be a large format photograph, taken from a rather high vantage point, and most importantly, showing crowds of people enjoying their spare time at the pool, in the park, at the disco or, as is the case for his very best-known images, on the beach. Vitali’s strange images of beach-goers have been exhibited all around the world in top museums. His precise, trademark style has made him one of Italy’s most internationally acclaimed contemporary artists – quite a turn for someone who has been a photojournalist for nearly twenty years before shifting to creative photography.

Fabio Bucciarelli

34 year-old Fabio Bucciarelli is among the best new photojournalists around, and not just in Italy. With his 2012 reportage of Syrian civil war, Battle to Death, Bucciarelli won numerous awards, from the Robert Capa Gold Medal to the World Press Photo Awards. Wholeheartedly committed to documentary photography and photojournalism, Bucciarelli has already been in Mali, Libya, Turkey, Egypt, Burma, Haiti, Gaza and more; and has recently covered the conflicts erupted in Eastern Ukraine. Images by Fabio Bucciarelli have appeared in top international publications such as TIME Magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Paris Match and Die Zeit, among others.

Davide Monteleone

What is most striking about Davide Monteleone‘s work is the gloomy atmosphere that usually characterises his pictures. Gifted with an extremely personal vision, Monteleone has dedicated much of his career to the exploration of Russia, through works such as Dusha, an effort in representing daily life in the country, and Red Thistle, which investigates the tormented and violent region of the North Caucasus. His work has been granted prominent, international prizes like the World Press Photo Awards and the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award. The latter allowed him to finance his latest personal documentary project Spasibo (Russian for ‘thank you’), a photo essay on modern Chechnya after the end of the war against Russia.

Luca Campigotto

Luca Campigotto was born in Venice in 1962. A passionate traveller and a photographer of places, Campigotto’s vision transcends the physical space in front of his lens to construct a new evocative, spellbinding reality through carefully chosen compositions and a skillful, sophisticated use of light. His 1995 series Venetia Obscura — the work that set off his international career — is a magical nocturne portraiture of Venice, devoid of the hordes of tourists that usually harass the city. After that groundbreaking project, Campigotto went on to shoot in Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, San Francisco and, most lately, New York, for the spectacular series Gotham City. He has also photographed several historic sites around the world, and made an especially superlative work with Egypt’s Pyramids.

Guido Guidi

Italy is renowned all around the world for its historic sites, cities full of art and beautiful natural landscapes. Guido Guidi was among the first photographers, from the early 1970s on, to forge a new landscape photography for Italy. Influenced by neorealism and conceptual art, Guidi pointed his lens not on the country’s obvious beauties but on its ordinary, even dull corners. His images feature not the Colosseum, notThe Last Supper, not the dramatic coasts, but quiet, provincial streets, decaying buildings and empty rooms, unimpressive pieces of landscape that are, however, as Italian as it gets. A retrospective show of Guidi’s work called Veramente is now open in Amsterdam’s Huis Marseille (until 7 September).

culture trip left arrow
 culture trip brand logo

Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip

meet our Local Insider

Hanna

women sitting on iceberg

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?

2 years.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.

WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?

I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!

culture trip logo letter c
group posing for picture on iceberg
group posing for picture on iceberg

Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.

map of volcanic iceland trip destination points
culture trip brand logo
culture trip right arrow
landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

X

Holiday Sale Offers on Our Trips

Incredible Savings

Edit article