Nuorese Cultural DistrictRaffaele Ciceri (b. Nuoro, 1870–d. Nuoro, 1921) was an Italian photographer.
Raffaele Ciceri
Description
After studying at the Convitto Nazionale, a boarding school, in Cagliari with the aim of becoming a pharmacist, he developed a passion for photography, which became a life-long interest that he cultivated alongside his main professsion.
His pharmacy, the Farmacia R. Ciceri già Floris, located on the upper part of Via Maiore in Nuoro, provided him with a special vantage point from which to observe the lively human comedy that played out daily along the busy street. With his light, manageable Verascope Richard camera, Ciceri took endless photographs, immortalising faces of friends and strangers, famous people and unknowns, mad and solitary, elegant women and men in middle-class or traditional garb.
He took every opportunity to photograph everything that caught his attention. He was especially fascinated by society life during the Belle Époque in Nuoro, which played out for the most part in Caffè Tettamanzi and along what is now Corso Garibaldi.
This predominantly male microcosm was populated by friends and fellows, including the photographers Sebastiano Guiso and Piero Pirari, the painter Antonio Ballero and the poet Sebastiano Satta.
Ciceri’s photographs capture popular customs and traditions, rural settings and scenes from town life. His locations range from the Barbagia region to Cagliari, revealing the atmospheres and architectural landscapes that drew his eye.
He also visited places like the council chamber of the Orani town hall, where he admired the oils on paper The Shepherd and The Sower by the painter Mario Delitala.
The Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico of Nuoro and the Ilisso publishing house preserve a rich collection of his photographs.