The seventh chapter of SR Explorer is set in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, in the land of kings and maharajas. A journey of discovery into the heart of an India suspended in time, where imperial palaces, untamed nature, silk and spice markets, and cenotaphs are imbued with a deep spirituality. An ancestral calling, drawing a parallel between our Renaissance Florence, cradle of knowledge, and the ancient Mughal capitals. This mission was not without a few surprises, which made it all the more remarkable.

In the sixteenth century, Europe was introduced, through trade with these lands, to pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and Eastern fabrics, later joined by tea, coffee, and sugar. This was parallel to the Silk Road. As I write, I am reminded of the earliest images that shaped my youth: photographs of tigers and elephants, shots of architecture blending Hindu and Islamic styles, what I always imagined to be “lacework in stone”. It was through the pages of old National Geographic magazines that my brother Niccolò and I explored an exotic world. Later, we met clients from these distant lands in Florence, who became family friends.

With our close-knit team, we set off once more, entrusting the new campaign’s images to a friend, Steve McCurry, who captured some of his most iconic and internationally acclaimed photographs in these very locations.
"India, to me, is an ever-changing, ever-present experience. It is a place that refuses to be defined or captured entirely in one image. The landscape, the people, the colors—they’re all so vibrant, so immediate, and yet they seem to transcend time. I have spent years wandering its streets, from the crowded alleys of Mumbai to the tranquil banks of the Ganges in Varanasi. And each time I return, it feels like I’ve never seen the country before. There’s a new layer, a deeper shade of emotion, that reveals itself to me. I’ve traveled to India many times, and each time, it feels like a new discovery. "