An interview with Lucy Laucht: Il Dolce Far Niente

Images Excerpted from Il Dolce Far Niente by Lucy Laucht (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2024. Photographs by Lucy Laucht.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a photographer, and what was it that inspired you to do so?

My father was a photographer and I remember being given little disposable film cameras to document our holidays. Later I would study photography but drop out after being told by a tutor I had no good eye or attention for the technical aspect. Sadly, I listened, and it wasn’t till later I returned to pursue photography. Largely self-taught, I maintain the belief that photography is about light and the way you see the world, not rules and technicalities!

2. From your work, you evidently have a passion for life in southern Italy. What draws you to it so much, and what do you love to experience while you’re there?

My gaze has long been drawn to the human milieu of a summer beach. I love the calm and the chaos. I love the way a country’s maritime fringes gently reveal so much of the national character. Nowhere in the world is the chaos, the calm, the poetry, and the revelation as vital as in Italy!

3. In your new book, Il Dolce Far Niente, you try to capture the Italian “art of sweet idleness”. What does this mean for you?

The elegant Italian expression Il Dolce Far Niente translates as “the sweetness of doing nothing”, “sweet idleness”. In a world busier, noisier than ever, I wanted to explore this philosophy and ask what can be learned from this gentle way of being.

And so, with my dad’s old film camera in hand, I travelled through Italy’s southern rivieras, from the Amalfi Coast to the volcanic Aeolian archipelago, capturing the slow pace of Italian summer: lively Neopolitan beach scenes and bathers lazing on rocks. The result, I hope, is a transportive photographic study of southern Italy and an ode to the nostalgic spirit of Italian summer.

4. What camera(s) did you use to capture the scenes portrayed in Il Dolce Far Niente? Why this choice?

All the photographs in Il Dolce Far Niente were taken on film—I love the nuances, the imperfections and the honesty of film. I used my dad’s old Pentax Spotmatic, a Leica M6 and a Pentax 67.

5. Some of the photos are in black and white. How do you decide whether to go for colour or monochrome?

Good question! Some compositions just call for black and white, it can simplify the scene and focus the viewer’s attention.

6. Luminescence, sunshine, water and striking colour contrasts seem to be key aspects of your work. How do you go about capturing these elements?

I love the quiet poetry of who we are beside the sea, and I’m drawn to the almost lyrical quality of light on or near the water. I find film captures and replicates this light, those deep aquas and cerulean blue hues in a way that digital cannot.

7. Two of our villas – Rocca delle Tre Contrade in Sicily, and Casino Doxi Stracca in Puglia – feature in the Il Dolce Far Niente. How do you think villa holidays capture the pleasures of sweet idleness?

Rocca and Doxi Stracca epitomize Il Dolce Far Niente; they are places for long, unhurried afternoon lunches. Their iconic pools call for perfect ten dives and perhaps most importantly, they provide the space, literally and metaphorically, to slow down and appreciate life just as it is.

8. Do you have any plans for another book? If so, what will be the theme?

There are whispers of a second book but alas I’m unable to reveal where, just yet. Stay tuned!

Finding your Italian summer

If you’re dreaming of practising the art of il dolce far niente yourself, we still have some availability for August and September. Browse our stunning collection of villas in Italy, or get in touch with our Villa Specialists to help you with your specific dates and group size.