One of the greatest photographers of the Comino Valley, capable to trigger excitement with his shots and mastery in using digital technologies: this is Tonino Bernardelli. Tonino was the main character in one of the first tourist guides we produced, the one dedicated to his home, Settefrati. We simply could not miss his show.
Settefrati is a jewel of a village: on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo and on the Lazio side of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. A town that comes alive every year for the procession to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Canneto, which Tonino has documented with much emotion.
Almost 60,000 people pay homage to the sanctuary over 5 days, shortly after mid-August in a ceremony that has been repeated for centuries in the same manner, as described already Father Breda’s stories of the early 800's.
The photographic exhibition is divided into 4 sections: one dedicated to the Valley, one to the 'tiles' of Villa Gallio that resume all the towns of the Val di Comino in the eighteenth century, one to emotions and one to our Guide Book of Settefrati.
Godmother of the exhibition was the great opera singer Chiara Taigi who sang some arias like 'Ave Maria' by Schubert, 'O mio babbino caro' by Puccini and a music from the film dedicated to San Francesco and Santa Chiara.
Chiara Taigi has not only acted, she has shown her affection to her friend Tonino and a rare human sensitivity towards the story of the characters of Settefrati and the Valle di Comino. Their friendship was palpable and a portrait of Chiara next to some flowers was right in the middle of the section dedicated to emotions.
Tonino, who is generally a superb host and presenter of important events, had a voice broken by the emotions that can be found in the title of the exhibition: "This is my land".
Congratulations Tonino! Continue to be what you are and to be surrounded by your friends. Obviously, the evening was photographed by masters like Nando Potenti, Stefano Strani and Lauro Abruzzese, which is the reason we hid our camera and left the filming those who understand!
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