"Sati Vana"
The Forest as a Mirror of the Mind
In the heart of Liguria, the Beigua Regional Park stretches like an ancient cathedral of trees, suspended between sea and mountain. Here, among centuries-old beech trees and mist-shrouded paths, I learned to observe the landscape not only with my eyes but with the quiet mind of meditation.
The practice of mindfulness, learned in the Buddhist communities I attended, taught me to grasp the endless flow of thoughts, like wind through branches or the changing of seasons. From this experience comes Sati Vana – in Pali language, "the forest of awareness" – a photographic journey that explores the undergrowth not only as a physical place but as a mirror of our inner world.
Just as the forest lives in a perpetual cycle of transformation, the mind too goes through ever-changing states. Each image in this project is an analogy of a state of mind observed with presence: doubt, with its intricate and threatening trees; apathy, where bare trees are immersed in fog; illusion and passion, rendered through creative motion blur, where the boundaries between reality and perception dissolve. But no state of mind is either positive or negative: it is just a moment to be observed with mental clarity and compassion towards ourselves.
With each step in the forest, with each emotion, I ask myself: "How am I?"
In this space of open observation, each state reveals its mutable nature: doubt can become curiosity, apathy a gentle detachment, illusion can transform into crystal clarity and burning passion into creative, purposeful energy. The key to reading each image, each moment, is not judgment but compassionate presence towards what emerges.
This project is an invitation to slow down, to explore our emotions as if walking through a forest.
Each photograph is a breath. Each image is a meditative pause, a moment of contemplation where nature becomes an analogy for our mind.
And you, How are you now?
























