This photographic project was born from the desire to tell the silent origin of the wood that warms our homes, the hidden journey that comes before the everyday gesture of lighting a fire.
It is a story of effort, care, and memory. A tribute to those who continue to preserve a way of working in which man, animal, and mountain remain deeply connected.
In the Apennines, among steep woods, narrow paths, and lands that are difficult to reach with modern vehicles, wood gathering still preserves an ancient rhythm. Here, man does not work alone: beside him is the mule, a patient and strong companion, an indispensable presence in a landscape where technology can only go so far.
The reportage observes this delicate balance between effort, knowledge, and respect. The man guides, prepares, loads, listens. The mule moves forward, measures the ground, carries the weight, and knows the mountain through its body. Between them there is not only usefulness, but a relationship made of trust, repeated gestures, shared silences, and mutual understanding.
Modern equipment enters this story not as a replacement, but as part of a process in which tradition and contemporaneity coexist. Chainsaws, winches, transport vehicles, and storage systems interact with ancient practices, expert hands, and animals that still make possible what machines alone cannot do.
Through these images, I wanted to follow the journey of the wood: from the forest to the harvest, from transport to stacking, until its transformation into an everyday resource. A journey that speaks of manual labor, mountains, memory, and necessity.
At the center remains the bond between man and animal: a discreet pact, built through effort and time. The mule is not merely a working tool, but a living presence, an integral part of the landscape and its history. In its slow steps, in its breath, in the quiet strength with which it crosses the woods, an ancient form of wisdom is preserved.
This reportage is a tribute to those who still know the value of effort, to those who read the forest like a map, to those who preserve crafts that risk disappearing. It is the poetic and concrete story of a profound relationship: that between man, animal, and nature.