DA ROCCO 2017

The Trattoria “Da Rocco” inside the Sant’Ambrogio market of Florence is a very special place.

Because of its volcanic owner Rocco, his son Paolo, and his collaborators. Because of its location and its particular architecture, with a small but fully equipped kitchen, tables for 4 to 8 people directly accessible from outside, and with a central corridor for the personnel to serve the clients. Being an occasional client (and a frequent one for one year when I worked nearby), my main idea was to make pictures of the clients and their interactions with the personnel. In order to get acquainted with Rocco and his collaborators, I asked whether I could take pictures from the early morning, when they would prepare the dishes. Thus, on 28 December 2017 from just before 7 am onwards they allowed me to make pictures unrestrictedly up to the point that they eventually ignored my presence. The enormous energy and the good spirit of Rocco and his colleagues was contaminating. Eventually, the most interesting part were the hours with the team, before the arrival of the first clients. Thus, sixteen pictures of several hundreds were selected, post-produced, printed 22 x 33 cm in colour on cotton paper, framed, and exhibited in “La Pace 72.”