Ever since ancient times, touch has been considered the least deceptive of our senses and the most certain: only what we touch exists, only what touches us exists. It is when closing our eyes that we discover the importance of this perception.

Touch implies a particular form of mutuality: we cannot touch without being touched and maybe, just for this reason, touching helps us connect to other humans and the surrounding elements. Through gestures such as caressing, holding hands and hugging we can communicate, comfort and support while creating and sharing mutual well-being. 

During the past two years, the pandemic has rendered touch taboo. The imposition of social distancing forced us to translate our interactions into digital form, and our fear of the disease has transformed our hands into something to dread and avoid. Yet, a form of touch starvation was already underway amongst people, fostered precisely by technology and social networks.

This year, with an edition dedicated to touch, we want to show, through the images of national and international photo­graphers, the importance of physical exchange and the connection between human beings.

Verzasca Foto Festival 2021 brings along another important change: after seven editions in Sonogno, for the first time the festival will be held in Brione Verzasca. The meetings, lectures and night projections will take place at Castello Marcacci, while the exhibits will be displayed through the woods of the village.

Once again, we want to connect photo­graphers and visitors to the territory and the people who inhabit it. Through meetings, convivial moments and outdoor exhibitions which interact with nature and the architecture of the stone villages, visitors will be able to explore the area in synergy with the works, artists and locals, in an intimate and informal dialogue.