A Strange Meeting In The Desert

- Nico de Corato

I use to go running in the desert. Both for training and competitions This time, I decided to go to Al Qudra to test some gear I received. After parking my car at the Last Exit, I started running crossing through desert along the cycling path.

Almost 30 minutes after the sunset, I could see not too far from me a 4x4 on the top of a dune. A man was alone up there near to the car, lighting a fire. Intrigued, I kept on going in that direction, till I reached him and incredibly he was Italian too! Two Italians, and a strange meeting in the desert of Dubai. He offered me some water, we started talking and he told me he never drove a 4x4 before moving to the UAE so I grabbed hold of the opportunity and proposed that interview him... and here we are!

Nico de Corato (NdC): Luca, who are you and why you are here alone in the middle of the desert?

Luca Lombardi (LL): Born in Rome, I moved to Sanremo [Liguria, Italy] where I lived for 20 years and where all my friends still live. I’m a professional photographer and I’m here in the UAE because I love the desert.

NdC: How did you discover the desert?