why OMBRA?

The Italian word ombra translates to shadow in English.

Without light and shadow, there is no photography. Film cannot exist.

However, in the Veneto, where my family in Italy lives, the word ombra has a particular meaning. Legend has it that starting in the fourteenth century, vendors would sell wine from carts at the foot of the tall clock tower, il campanile, in Piazza San Marco. As the sun baked the piazza in the hot summer months, vendors would move their carts to stay in the shade of the clock tower. This would keep them and the wine cool. As people gathered in the piazza to drink wine, they would also move their tables and chairs in order to stay in the shade while they sipped their wine, laughed and shared stories.