In the Valley of the Sphinxes: Birth of a New Embrace

In the Valley of the Sphinxes: Birth of a New Embrace

by | Apr 19, 2025 | HUGS PROJECT, JOURNEYS AMONG TREES

A Walk Among the Wonders of Lessinia, in the Valley of the Sphinxes

 

At the end of March 2025, I discovered the Valley of the Sphinxes, one of the most fascinating places in the Regional Natural Park of Lessinia, in the province of Verona. It was a splendid day, with a blue sky crossed by white clouds, perfect for walking, observing, and allowing oneself to be surprised.
The Lessinia attracts me in an irresistible way. Perhaps also because my paternal grandmother, whom I never knew, was born here. Every visit to these places gives me a feeling of deep and mysterious rootedness.

 

Shapes, Silences, and Encounters

 

The “sphinxes” are enormous monoliths of limestone shaped by time and atmospheric agents. The landscape is both primordial and surreal. Walking silently among these fantastic forms, I noticed a majestic solitary beech that towers on the top of a hill. From up there, it dominates the entire valley. I immediately felt it as a strong and gentle presence, stable and protective. A silent guardian. It came naturally to me to call it “The Guardian of the Sphinxes”.

 

Egle posing among the "sphinxes" of the Valley of the Sphinxes, in Lessinia
the great centuries-old beech, which emerges from the hill, like a "guardian of the sphinxes"

The Birth of a New Artwork

 

As always, I first observed the tree for a long time. Then I started photographing. The process I follow is not random: each work is born from multiple shots conceived in sequence and subsequently overlaid to create a unique image, suspended between reality and vision.

The final result is a fine art photograph printed in a limited edition, part of my life project dedicated to trees. The image is the result of photographic overlays performed on-site, without random interventions in post-production. Every step is guided by what I feel.

This is how “The Guardian of the Sphinxes” was born, a new work of the project WHISPERING TREES – trees that whisper.

If you wish to see the creative process that led to the birth of this work, I have created a short video-story in which I accompany the observer in the Valley of the Sphinxes, among the rocks of Lessinia and the visual genesis of the final work.
👉 Watch the video

 

Discover more destinations in the category: TRAVEL AMONG THE TREES

 

 

Egle next to the great solitary beech, above the Valley of the Sphinxes, in Lessinia
hugging the trees silvotherapy

hugging the trees silvotherapy

by | Jul 8, 2022 | HUGS PROJECT, JOURNEYS AMONG TREES

That hugging trees is good for your health is certainly not discovered by me. La silvotherapy, also called dendrotherapy, tree therapy, tree hugging, or contact with nature and embracing trees, is am ancient practice. It consists of a real therapeutic method of treatment and prevention of diseases through trees. Let me show you the last one I hugged…
I found it in a hamlet of Udine called Bonavilla, and it’s a pedunculate oak, Quercus robur, commonly known as oak.

Da questo incontro meraviglioso è nata l’opera che vi mostro a fondo pagina e che ora fa parte della serie “Alberi che sussurrano” , il progetto di vita attraverso cui cerco di esternare in fotografia quello che provo per gli alberi da cui sono più fortemente attratto.

The oak (oak) of Bonavilla (UD) in color

to find it follow the signs for the Parco del Beato Bertrando/Bonavilla, Pasian di Prato (UD), about 9 km from the A23 motorway.

The oak (oak) of Bonavilla (UD) in color

It was a splendid winter day, full of light, and a place filled with natural sounds and historical memories. She was there; it seemed she was waiting for me.
As a “tree photographer” many friends who care about nature and the environment had told me about her. But the encounter was still a surprise to savor slowly, just the way I like it, approaching without haste.
I find it hard to put my love for trees into words; it’s easier for me to do it through my photos. I hope this manages to convey to you even just a part of what I felt.
In any case, if you’re in the area, I recommend seeking her out and letting yourself be bathed in the wonderful sense of well-being she radiates. Her energy and therapeutic power are immense and available to everyone…
Hugging trees is wonderful!

The oak (oak) of Bonavilla (UD) in my latest fine art print in B / W

Stampa d’arredo Fine Art da digitale su carta Hahnemühle German Etching 310 gsm – 100% α-cellulosa in serie limitata, numerata, firmata e certificata. Disponibile sino ad esaurimento scorte nei formati 45×60, 60×80 e 97,5 x 130 cm.
©Luca Zampini 2022 – “Alberi che sussurrano”

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When I hug trees close together

When I hug trees close together

by | Feb 12, 2021 | HUGS PROJECT, JOURNEYS AMONG TREES

In my project “Whispering Trees” the subjects I embrace are almost always isolated. In fact, I rarely take pictures of attached trees and the reason is due to the fact that I can not perceive their individuality. It may happen, however, that if some trees are close together but in an open space, I feel them as an unicum. As if they supported each other and their energy came out multiplied by this closeness. Here’s one of those situations.

Group of trees in Lessinia

This is the same group of trees That I had discovered, by chance, driving on the Lessinia mountains …

Below are the other cases, so far, in which I had felt the same feeling. In order:

White poplar, Francolino – The beech trees of Monte Cucco – The two giants – White poplars 2 – Symmetries.

 

WHITE POPLAR_FRANCOLINO

THE BEECHES OF MONTE CUCCO

THE TWO GIANTS

GUARDIANS OF PARALLEL WORLDS

SYIMMETRIES

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERY