”I left Prato nearly 20 years ago without hesitation. Prato—whose name literally translates to “meadow”—is an industrial town neighboring Florence. For many years, I felt completely disconnected from the city of my youth. A difficult relationship with my mother, along with a lingering sense of unease about the provincial mindset of its inhabitants, kept me away.

In 2021, when my mother’s fragile health took a turn for the worse, I was forced to return to Prato to handle practical matters. This period marked the beginning of a profound nostalgia for the place where I grew up. Homesickness set in as my mother’s condition rapidly declined. During this time, I began photographing her, her home, and the city.

In early 2022, my mother passed away suddenly. Throughout her hospitalization and in the months following her death, I continued the project, also incorporating written material alongside the photographs. In 2023, I returned to further document the city—this time focusing on elements that could connect our memories to the place. Through this process, I sought to intertwine my life with her experiences, discovering connection and meaning in a city that holds both of our histories.”

text by Filippo Zambon

Goodbye Meadow is a deeply personal journey through memory, loss, and rediscovery. Filippo Zambon returns to Prato, a city he once left behind, to confront its past and his own. Through intimate photographs and poignant text, he navigates the streets of his childhood, the spaces his mother inhabited, and the emotions of a long-awaited homecoming. This photobook is more than a documentary—it is a meditation on grief, identity, and the ties that bind us to place and family.