I have never met Rachele Daminelli. She lives in the Italian Alps, and years ago, when I was still working in print journalism, we were in contact about a possible collaboration. Since then I have followed her work from afar and envied her life outdoors, surrounded by plants, rocks, cold rivers, and mountains.
For this interview, How to get lost in France steps across the border for the first time, into Italy and Switzerland. I’d like to take the opportunity to say that, for me, France is only a pretext. What matters is Europe, and here above all the Alps, a wild corridor running through France, Italy, Austria, Germany, or Slovenia. The Alps show how rewilding can take hold and how little borders matter. They remain a space of freedom, connecting people under the magnificence and power of nature.
Rachele’s pictures reflect this spirit. “My work is always, and now even more, focused on growing consciousness about sustainability, our relationship with Mother Earth, nature conservation, and natural agriculture,” she says. This year she has been leading larger projects, among them Towards New Food Futures, supported by National Geographic, exploring the diversity and uses of Mediterranean wild edible plants. She is now preparing a similar special project with a major brand that wants to share more about plant uses. As she prefers editorial work to commercial assignments—seeing it as a space to tell stories and to say what matters most without selling products—she keeps exploring the mountains.
Here Rachele answers the ten questions of this Alpine Interview, sharing her favorite places to swim, to eat, to have coffee, and to take in the beauty of the mountains.
You live in the Italian Alps near Bergamo, and you spend most of your time in the German-speaking Alps, between Pontresina and Sankt Moritz. What do the mountains mean to you?
I was born in a small mountain village in Italy, surrounded by peaks. For me, they simply represent home! I love all four elements, but while I’m not so confident with water, earth is where I feel most comfortable and inspired.
