Until 1879, Margherita di Savoia – 11.000 inhabitants, located between Foggia and Barletta, in Apulia – was named “Saline di Barletta” (which means “Barletta’s salt basins”), “I Saléine” in local dialect.
Here are located the biggest salt basins in Europe, second biggest worldwide. The majority of tourists in Margherita either come to visit the salt pans Natural Reserve and Margherita’s Baths – another strong spot of this location – or to spend some time on the coast. Tourists that choose to spend their holidays in Margherita usually come from nearest cities, or live in the other parts of Italy but came originally from the region and still have some relatives – or a house – there.
This type of tourism is very different compared to the mass-tourism you can find in the majority of Apulia, in areas such as Gargano or Salento. This is why Margherita’s true nature lies beneath the surface. Some would define it “real” compared to other locations.
From 2016 to 2020, I spent there short periods of time, from several days to a couple of weeks, every August. When people coming from outside mingle with locals.
But in reality, here it is hard to mingle completely.
You meet people, you mix with them, maybe you clash with them.
For one month, you share spaces, places, and time.
Every year, I watch from the outside, collecting moments.
A visual collection of everyday moments: fleeting, elsuive, suspended in time. I filter them through my own gaze, I collect them, but never possess them. I stand on the outside, still. Lingering moments, ready to be found again, until next summer.