The Girl On The Vespa (Colour)

I like the island, not just for its worn facades or the artisan life that defines it, but because there is a strong sense of place in almost every location. The still camera can capture that vibe in a single frame, which is quite rare and always encourages me.

This little street—used by Minghella—caught my eye because the camera lens must point up as the road is on a steep slope. This allows for a wider narrative behind the subject and if we travel to somewhere as special as Procida, we want to include as much context as possible. A road with a steep incline is almost always good news.

In the first 58 years of my life, I never traveled to Procida and then, in the space of eight months, I went there five times. Someone tracking my movements—and thankfully I don’t think anyone is bored enough or interested enough to do so—would suspect something was up. They would be right, though it was nothing more than a new obsession—like a dog with a new bone. I knew there was stuff to do here, and I needed to let it all soak in.

Alessandra Ambrosio nailed her role as “The girl on the vespa,” but this was far from her first rodeo, and even at 06:20 am she looks too good to be true. Everything else was intuitive—including, of course, a Maradona shirt on the laundry line. That shirt is part of every street in the Bay of Naples."

- David Yarrow