curves ahead

curves ahead happened on the Amalfitana, the Stadale Statale SS 163 along the picturesque Amalfi Coast, Italy, on the way to Positano.

Pure Dolce Vita cliché: the winding coastal road ahead, the sea to the right, traveling in an original Fiat Cinquecento from the Sixties, probably a most charming companion aside, no tourists around - just as it used to be in the old days, with the sun shining, of course. What more does one need for sweet life?

The experienced traveler of course knows that the Amalfi Coast today often shows a very different picture: buses full of tourists, either blocking the narrow coastal road or dropping off their passengers in front of the numerous pizzerias, ice cream stands or souvenir shops. Little is authentic here these days: overpriced, overcommercial, overcrowded, overinstagrammed. The feeling for Dolce Vita can easily drift apart.

curves ahead shows a fleeting moment, driving by, coincidentally without traffic. The image is not arranged, it may therefore seem technically inadequate: the Fiat is slightly blurred in motion, the contrasts are overdrawn, the colors - though reduced - a bit vivid. Nevertheless, or precisely for this, the viewer might sense: it’s actually very nice here, but a few curves ahead things might turn crocked. So let's keep this wonderful moment to ourselves.