Antonio Barletti

Antonio Barletti was born in the Mugello 51 years ago. He has a degree in Modern Literature and is a photographer and ethnographer. Since 1970 he has travelled widely in Africa, Asia and Latin America gathering information and inspiration for books of photographs and history (Dal Sahara al Tibet, Afghanistan prima e dopo, In memoria dell'Afghanistan, Tibet e Paesi himalayani) as well as for many exhibitions (which he has prepared and arranged himself) on the Islamic and Himalayan way of life.

Despite his interest in distant lands however, he has always maintained a deep affection for his birthplace and home and has already published two books of photographs on the area: Mugello, published in 1980, and Val di Sieve, 1985.

In 1980 he was a founding member of the Tuscan committee in support of the Afghan resistance. In 1987 he created an Ethnographic Research Group, for the purpose of collecting and preserving the remaining information available regarding the material culture characteristic of ethnic groups or economic communities, such as nomads, whose survival is threatened by the cultural absorption so frequent today.

In 1994 he founded C.R.E.A. (an ethnographical-environmental research centre) and designed an exhibition, with relevant catalogue (Rapaci. Nella storia e in natura), on the subject of the complex and fascinating relationship between man and birds of prey. His latest enterprise was the exhibition Sciamani (Shamans) which had considerable success at the International Exhibition of Ethnographic Documentaries held in Nuoro in October 1996.