These sun-soaked photos are a love letter to blue skies and sunshine

After working for an ad agency in Amsterdam for close to a decade, Cecilia Pignocchi was ready for a break. Not just from the relentless pace of deadlines, but from grey skies, early mornings and the weight of routine. So she quit her job, packed up her life, and set off with her partner on a 5,500km bike trip across Europe. What followed was a 408-day sabbatical filled with sun, slowness, and self-reflection – the catalyst for Tempo Bello, a dreamy photo series celebrating the power of sunlight and the unexpected freedom of living life day by day.

“I’ve always felt like a fish out of water, in my hometown, my country, Italy, and even in my own womanhood,” says Cecilia, who grew up in the city of Ancona on the Adriatic coast of Italy. “I distanced myself from my roots in search of my identity… I spent nearly a decade in Amsterdam, immersed in a world of muted light and overcast skies, far removed from the bright sun and vivid colours of my Mediterranean childhood.”

On her visits to Italy every summer, Cecilia would collect photos – at home, on the beach, and around the city. “What was once mundane appeared like a movie set,” she recalls. During her sabbatical, Cecilia finally had time to sift through her archive. She started an Instagram page to share her work, titling it Tempo Bello – meaning ‘good weather’ in Italian. “I realised good weather was the common thread in all my images,” she says. “Without sunlight and blue skies, there would be no photographs.”

Cecilia continued shooting, and during this time of rest and release, photography became an act of self-discovery. “The sun triggered memories: the childhood joy that resurfaces when I see blooming spring flowers; the discomfort I feel whenever a man stares at me in the street; the emotions I feel when I see a mountain, reminding me of the place where my father sought happiness during my childhood,” she says. “Sunlight became the driving force of my creative process, a mirror reflecting my emotions.”

Many images emerged spontaneously, while others were inspired by found objects or specific scenes. “Only later, through reflection, did I uncover their deeper meanings,” says Cecilia. For example, an image of a fish photographed in a forest – ”a completely foreign environment” – is reflective of a displacement she felt growing up. Another image of gold necklaces dripping out of a man’s crotch, speaks about how masculinity was glorified in her surroundings.

“Tempo Bello reflects my ongoing search for identity, belonging, and the deeper meanings hidden in light,” Cecilia reflects. “I don’t expect viewers to see what I feel by looking at these images; everyone will connect with them in their own way. But through the stories behind Tempo Bello, I hope they will relate to its deeper themes.”