In a world that grows more human-centred, can we still find reminders of our ancestral nature? Yes, there are such places. There is no need to journey to the Andes or tropical rainforests. Instead, we need a keen eye and sensitivity. Modern humanity may have partly lost this, but Diana Crestan’s "Livenza: Legendary Waters" shows it is not forgotten.

Indeed, it is impossible to remain unmoved before the photographs of this small corner of the old continent. Here, where at some point everything has been reshaped by human intervention, untouched nature seems somehow to endure, together with the slow passage of time and its eternal cycles.

The legend of the fairy Livenza opens the book even before the preface, and this is an intelligent — almost necessary — choice for conveying the spirit that permeates the entire volume. The tale is timeless, created to evoke a world before humankind existed, and this is precisely the sensation one experiences while turning the pages of Diana’s work.

A fallen tree covered in moss reveals both past and future. Life, in the end, gives rise to new life. Water reflects the seasons and reminds us that time has its own meaning. Mountains and autumn leaves have been seen by grandparents, medieval monks, Romans, and prehistoric dwellers. Now, little more than traces remain—a few marshy meadows crossed by roe deer. Through her gaze and measured words, Diana restores our sense of simplicity and wonder at undisturbed nature.

"Livenza: Legendary Waters" is far more than a photographic book; it is a powerful message for modern humanity, at once a warning and a source of hope, so that each of us may rediscover that enchanted gaze which can only lead to a deeper awareness of the world that surrounds us.