"Nocturnus Genius" is a photographic project born from the desire to explore what lies behind the scenes of one of the world's most iconic and represented cities: Venice. The "lagoon city", usually depicted through stereotypical images of beauty and romanticism, is stripped of its spectacularity to reveal an intimate and hidden side, far from tourist flows and commercial representations.

The project draws inspiration from Guy Debord's theories and his "psychogeographic drift", a method of urban exploration that favours the subjective experience and emotions aroused by places. The idea of creating "Nocturnus Genius" matured during the author's academic career, which led to numerous psychogeographic drifts in various European cities. The decision to focus on Venice arose from the city's only peculiarity: an entirely pedestrian reality, without vehicular traffic, transforming into a silent and evocative stage at night.

The primary motivation behind "Nocturnus Genius" is the search for the "genius loci", the spirit of the place, which in Venice takes on a unique dimension during the night hours. The absence of tourists and the silence of the night allow the city to reveal its true essence, which is made of discrete presences and human traces that resist the invasion of tourist consumerism.