Creatura d’Arno
01 juny al 29 juny
SINOPSIS
It is said that along the Arno an ancient breath lies hidden. It has no name, but eyes that petrify and a voice of water. It is the secret the river keeps.
According to popular folklore in Casentino, the “Badalischio” is a creature that looks like a cross between a rooster and a snake, but larger in size, capable of turning anyone who looks it in the eye to stone. It was first sighted in Gorga Nera, a marsh at the mouth of the Arno River, which was created in 1300 following a landslide caused by flooding of the Arno itself. There are numerous accounts of sightings throughout history, and it was said to live in the woods and waters. Until recently, this creature still generated fear among the inhabitants of the various villages of the Casentino area and was the subject of stories and warnings to children not to venture into the woods alone. Today, it has been lost in the disillusionment of our technological society. I went in search of this creature in the places described in the chronicles, among the villages and woods of the Casentino area, following the course of the Arno.
The project was carried out during a photography residency in Casentino in September 2025, under the guidance of Simone Donati (Terra Project) and supported by the Ivano Bolondi scholarship and CiFa, the Italian Center for Author Photography.
BIOGRAFIA
Ugo Milano (b. 1992, Rome) is a photographer with an academic background in literary studies (German and English, University of Naples Federico II / Georg-August-Universität Göttingen). His photographic practice moves between a documentary and a lyrical-subjective approach, deeply influenced by his engagement with poetry and photobooks. He tries mostly to approach photography and projects from a literary point of view. In 2019 he was appointed Talent Scout by FIAF (Federazione Italiana Associazioni Fotografiche). He was chosen for the Canon Student Development Program in 2021.
He has attended, among others, the Jack London School of Photography and Literature (2023/24) and the Documentary Lab by Caimi & Piccinni (2024/25).
His photographic project Under Which Tree Did Goethe Sleep? was published as a first dummy book in 2025.
In the same year, he received a scholarship for a masterclass/photo residency led by photographer Simone Donati (member of TerraProject) in Casentino, Tuscany. During this residency, he developed the project «Creatura D’Arno», which will be exhibited in the Italian Photo Festival in Bibbiena in 2026. He’s also working on a research idea for a phd combining literature and photography.
