24-year-old Francesco Capaccioni loves the Italian region of Umbria. The area has a rare beauty that will have a deep impact on your soul, he explains. And something suggests that he is not alone in thinking that. Thus, more than 34,000 people follow the young Italian on Instagram.

Actually, 24-year-old Francesco Capaccioni is a trained radiographer. For four years, he studied so that he could learn to take x-rays, make ultrasound scans and perform CT and MR scan of patients. But since he got a small digital camera as a present for his exam and subsequently began exploring his home region, Umbria, there has been no time to the work in the Italian health department. Instead, he Francesco Capaccioni become quite a phenomenon of Instagram, where more than 34,000 people follow his images of the untamed Umbrian nature, the indescribably beautiful medieval cities and the people who live here.

“Umbria is very special. The nature, the cities, all. But almost nobody outside of Umbria knows the area, and I’d like to change that, ” Francesco explains, who, as a child, was actually not the big fan of nature.
“I remember that my grandparents always took me out into the nature – away from the city, from the TV and away from all the noise. And there we were In the middle of nowhere. I hated it! I’d rather be with my friends. But today I really enjoy it, because my grandfather taught me how to get around – even in very inaccessible places, “he continues.

Love the spontaneous

At the beginning of his photo career, Francesco oftenest went about without specific plans. If he came by a forest or a mountain that he had not seen before, he just stopped the car and went exploring. Today there is a little more planning behind his photo galleries. Nevertheless, never more than he always leaves room for exploring the unknown.
“As a photographer you should be able to keep it spontaneous, otherwise you will miss out on something. But having said that, I’m planning many of my tours. Some places because it requires special permission to go there, others because there may be an idea in arriving at a certain time of the day, to watch a sunset or something, Francesco explains.

Sincerely and originally

Francesco Capaccioni hopes that his pictures will inspire more people to come to Umbria, which by the way often is called Tuscany’s unknown little brother. A name that does not quite fit the area, he thinks.
“Umbria is not a little brother. To me, Tuscany is a beautiful woman, where nothing is coincidental. Everything is cultivated and planned. Umbria, on the other hand, is a man. Still beautiful, but more sincere and original. Umbria has a wild and untamed nature. And there is a lot of it. Here is much more green and different. And still there are the most beautiful villages, castles and castles. Here is art, culture and gastronomy. When you come to Umbria you will experience things that others have not experienced before. You will comes out of the shadow of other people’s experiences – and behind every corner something beautiful awaits, he states.