Paolo Di Paolo

The extraordinary illustrated book "La lunga strada di sabbia" is the unprecedented documentation of a travel reportage by the writer and later director Pier Paolo Pasolini and the photographer Paolo Di Paolo. The two men are still young in the summer of 1959, just 37 and 34 years old, and set out together to document Italian summer holidays on behalf of Arturo Tofanelli, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Successo and the weekly Tempo. The two, who had never met before, travel south along the coast from Ventimiglia to Trieste. While Pasolini, the writer, is looking for a world of lost literary ghosts, Di Paolo wants to depict an Italy that looks to the future. The title "La lunga strada di sabbia", which translates as "The long road of sand", also comes from him. It is precisely these contrasting approaches that will later give this travel reportage its very special significance as a witness to this era.

The Coffee Table Book is a unique insight into a rediscovered documentary photo archive. It shows in an impressive way the changing Italy of the late 1950s, which was just at the beginning of the economic miracle. But the country and its inhabitants are still insecure and have not fully recovered from the war. People travel long distances to spend a relaxing holiday by the sea. 

When looking at the pictures, nostalgic feelings arise. The vivid scenes, which are presented to the reader in a calm freeze frame, invite you to discover the many details in detail. Everything becomes tangible, the fashion of the time, everyday life, even the prevailing mood can be guessed. 
A great work for all those interested in history and Italy. 200 black-and-white photographs on 256 pages take the reader into a past Italy that is on the threshold between hope and fear, future and past.

Text in English, German and Italian.