Photography & styling – ILARIA & SILVIA CIANCIARUSO @ilariasilviaphotography

Models – BIANCA D.M.@bianca_de.marco, Bianca S.,  Camilla @cami.fontana_  @hanselandgretelkidsagency @sugar__kids @be_happy_agency

I have to be honest: Liguria has never been my easiest love story.

The beaches always felt a little too narrow, the summer traffic from Milan a little too endless, and the sea never quite as turquoise as the one I had in mind from Formentera. But out of season, I have to admit, Liguria has its own charm. The light becomes softer, the colours of the houses feel almost cinematic, and the focaccia genovese remains absolutely unforgettable.

Sometimes I imagine what this coast must have looked like in the 1960s: children running between pastel houses, salty hair, simple summer dresses, and that slightly nostalgic Italian holiday feeling that never really disappears.

I chose this editorial because it captures the silence before summer truly arrives, before the beaches fill with people and the coastline becomes crowded and loud. There is a pause in these images, a little breath of sea air before the season begins.

Boccadasse, photographed by Ilaria & Silvia, feels like that moment: a seaside story full of colour, wind, memories and the quiet magic of an Italian summer just before everyone else gets there. (Petra Barkhof)

BIANCA – Hat BILLIEBLUSH, swimsuit MOLO, pink long-sleeve cardigan COPENHAGEN COLORS, green short-sleeve cardigan and shorts MINOTI.

BIANCA – dress MOLO, scarf and shirt Stylists’ own.