Casarsa “a country of thunderstorms and primulas” as Pasolini described it, but it is also a point of connection between the provinces of Udine and Pordenone, as can be seen by the people who commute between the two. You will probably have gone that way too if you are a resident in the region, either to go to work, heading for the mountains or passing through on a train for Venice.

Casarsa is often crossed, but also offers good reasons for a stopover, and until 30 July, there is an extra opportunity. The former boardroom of what until recently was the town hall, hosts an exhibition entitled Elio Ciol in Museums and International Photographic Collections and thus takes the first step towards its new life as a place dedicated to art and culture.

When I think of this exhibition I always associate it with the beauty of the contrast: the linearity of the structure with which it is realised offset by the vivid softness of the oleander surrounding the poster that introduces it; the spaciousness of the room, as opposed to the fullness of the landscapes and faces that emerge from the photographs; the vast experience of this renowned and award-winning artist worldwide with his willingness to talk about himself, accompanying me and describing the exhibition itinerary.

These are shots that Ciol considers gifts, offered to those who have the readiness to grasp the fleeting beauty of children playing in a courtyard or the power of an approaching thunderstorm. These are snapshots that become the narrative of society and of past times, which find the way to remain topical.

A section of the exhibition is hosted in the nearby Centro Studi Pier Paolo Pasolini, the home and museum that used to belong to the mother of the poet, director and writer. In a quiet atmosphere, midway between a domestic setting and the renewal of the restructuring, I walked through the rooms that hosted his summers and his ideas. In the quiet of the wood-scented attic, Pasolini’s charismatic look gives the impression of observing the instants of his learned life through Ciol’s lens and, perhaps, to look at them with a smile.