Biography

Paola Viesi has been waiting for a long time before undertaking her two great passions: travelling and taking pictures.

She worked for many years as a Human Resources top manager, until the end of year 2001 when Paola gave up Telecom Italia in order to run, at last, her own way for travelling and taking pictures full-time.

Since then, she has been a tireless traveller mainly in Africa, in Ethiopia and in neighbouring countries. Now she settles in Ethiopia, where she collaborates with Unesco.

Her pictures contribute to promote the eight World Heritage Sites, to celebrate the return and the re-erection of the Axum obelisk.

During several expeditions she has been all around the Country.
She knows quite well the different ethnic groups, monuments and cultural heritages and she has collected a large amount of photos.

Her interest in this highland country is tied mainly to its preserved strong and original genuineness.
Since the establishment of the new democratic government Ethiopia has begun to open up to tourism.
Its insulation was due particularly to geographic constraints and to fact that it is a Christian country surrounded by Islamic cultures.

The imperial dynasty with its holy origin, which reigned until the 1970's, carefully preserved these ancient heritages that make Ethiopia a living museum: a varied museum because many different ethnic groups live there together with different tradition and religion.

Paola Viesi particularly searches for the beauty through her shots. People, everyday life images, monuments and ceremonies are subjects of an ancient beauty to be rediscovered. The beauty is captured in its essence, even throughout the deepest poverty, against the popular stereotypes which describe Africa only as a suffering humanity, or a fashionable and colourful fauna.