L’estate sta finendo…

L’estate sta finendo (the Summer is going to end) sang and old tune by The Righeira. It might have been a carefree Italo Disco anthem, but here its title feels almost literal. In this image, the end of summer is measured not in falling leaves, but in the silent rows of yellow sunbeds—upright, slightly askew, ready to be cleaned and stored.

The repetition of form is the photograph’s backbone. Eleven chairs (or nearly so—one is cropped out on each side) form a neat yet imperfect line, their bright fabric glowing against the more muted tones of the stone and the soft grey-blue sky. The high-key yellow works almost like an echo of the season that’s leaving: still vivid, still warm, but inevitably on its way out. The reflections in the wet pavement add a secondary rhythm, doubling the chairs in faint, watery ghosts.

Technically, the exposure balances well between the brightness of the fabric and the subtle cloud textures. Shadows are soft; highlights are held. The wet ground, with its irregular patches of light and dark, breaks the otherwise orderly geometry. The coiled black hose in the bottom left—a detail some might have removed—anchors the scene in workaday reality, undercutting any temptation to romanticise.

Compositionally, the choice to keep the horizon high places the chairs centre-stage, literally and metaphorically. The hint of palm trees and masts peeking above them reminds us of the summer context without distracting from the main visual theme.

This is not a sentimental image, nor is it mournful. It’s observational—a visual register of a seasonal shift, caught in the practical, transitional act of tidying up. Just as in the song, the beat goes on, even if the dance floor is emptying.

The very first sign of Autumn to come is the cleaning and the storing of the beach chairs…