The Soul of Italian Football Captured Through Six Photographers

Few national team shirts carry the cultural significance of the Azzurra jersey. It is a symbol woven into Italy’s identity, worn not only in packed stadiums but on neighborhood asphalt, coastal kickabouts, and mountain-town pitches. A new project from adidas and the Italian Football Federation, titled Scatti d’Azzurro (Shots of Blue), sets out to document that deeply rooted love for the game by traveling across the entire country. The initiative responds to a wider conversation about preserving football’s authentic spirit — one that resonates beyond Italy, from Argentina to Mexico, where football remains a lifeline of community and identity.

The Project: Scatti d’Azzurro

From the islands to the Alps, and from city centers to rural villages, Scatti d’Azzurro brings together six Italian photographers. Each was asked to document football in its most genuine setting: their own neighborhoods. The locations span Palermo, Turin, Venice, Matera, Ancona, and Val Camonica. Through their lenses, the game appears far from stadium floodlights — on improvised pitches, snowy fields, and streets where imagination substitutes for goalposts.

At the heart of every image is the unmistakable blue of the Azzurra jersey. It serves as a visual anchor — a thread of heritage and pride connecting generations and regions. The result is a portrait of a nation that breathes football, told through six distinct perspectives united by color, culture, and the game that binds them.

Cecilia Palmeri | Venice

Cecilia Palmeri captured scenes in Venetian “patronati” (community centers) and the few remaining fields where traditional play is still permitted. With very few permanent residents left in Venice, those who remain carve out small spaces amid the constant flow of tourists. After the school bell rings, children gather in the “campielli” (small squares), transforming them into temporary playing fields.

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Francesco Freddo | Matera

Francesco Freddo returned to his childhood places: the squares, dilapidated pitches, and imperfect spaces where friendships formed and countless kicks were taken at a ball. Years later, he was surprised to still find children playing there — a rarity in an era when street football is in decline. In Matera, something of that tradition endures.

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Paola Massarenti | Torino

Paola Massarenti shot in provincial fields between Pavarolo, Chieri, and Riva presso Chieri — the same grounds where she started playing. Her images tell the story of generations connected by their passion for the Azzurra jersey. Wearing it, she notes, can turn any field into a stadium.

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Alessandro Belussi | Brescia / Valle Camonica

Alessandro Belussi describes his series as a fragmented yet lucid dream. He tried to give form to his imagination around football — a game that begins before you know who you are and grows with you, tied to the places you have lived. His images recall squares and oratories with middle-school classmates chasing the ball, imagining they were Del Piero. In the background lies the layered history of his territory, from Brescia’s Roman subsoil to the peaks of Valle Camonica.

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Lorenzo Bonanni | Jesi (Ancona)

Lorenzo Bonanni photographed in his hometown of Jesi, where his passion for football began. He sought to convey memories linked to the place by capturing beloved spots from his adolescence: parks in front of middle schools, gravel pitches with torn nets, and afternoons spent chasing a ball through every corner of the city.

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Giuseppe Scianna | Palermo

Giuseppe Scianna pursued football where it continues to exist in its truest form in Palermo: on the street. His shots traverse improvised pitches and symbolic landmarks — from the mural of San Benedetto il Moro in the Ballarò district to the pitch at Zen 2, from the alleys of Vucciria to the mural dedicated to Totò Schillaci.

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