A trip to Panarea for the Louis Vuitton “For Friends” book by Alessandra Borghese and Alessandra d’Urso

“For Friends” is a homage to travel and friendship conceived and realized by Alessandra Borghese with Louis Vuitton featuring Alessandra d’Urso‘s photographs. The book, published by Steidl, presents nine exclusive destinations: Cartagena, Honolulu, Conca dei Marini, Abu Seir, Corfu, Fuente Rey, Bataille, Panarea and Montevettolini. For purple Travel we take an exclusive look at their trip to Panarea.

“Everything feels so far away in Panarea. If you surrender to the island’s nourishing soul, you will never look back. There are no cars on the smallest of the Aeolian Islands and there is no real port, just a pier some hundred metres long. In the evening, the only light in the narrow streets comes from the windows of the houses. On moonless nights, you need to carry a torch. Panarea’s most striking feature is its jagged coastline, with its pristine waters and tiny bays and inlets,” describes Alessandra Borghese. “When the wind whips it into peaks, the blue sea takes on a purplish hue. Ovid described the island’s beauty with great passion. From the terraces of the houses in the hamlet of Iditella, you can see the craggy islets of Dattilo, Basiluzzo, Spinazzolo and Lisca Bianca. Luchino Visconti loves to sit and watch them for hours. They change colour at sunset, when the sun dips into the sea behind the island and the last rays are reflected onto the rocks, turning them bright yellow, then gold and pink. The cone of Stromboli’s active volcano dominates the horizon, making you feel infinitely small compared with the immensity and eternity of nature.”

“For Friends” box consisting of nine books will be available in Louis Vuitton stores in the beginning of February 2016.

Photo Alessandra d'Urso and text Alessandra Borghese

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