During lockdown rules that followed the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, for me and I’m sure many other photographers felt that it became almost impossible to stay indoors or inside our properties. During a small break from the stringent lockdown rules in northern Italy, and in a moment that saw recent snow falls I decided to go out and do some much needed photography.

I had photographed this little stone building before in other seasons, where the surrounding landscape of rolling hills lend a softness to the scene. It is however very different during winters that are without snow when the area is bleak and rather grey.

Many years ago, this small stone cottage was one of the station masters houses on what was once a small mountain railway that until 1955 brought up people from the lower lying plains below the mountains that form part of the high plateau of Asiago (aka. Known as Altopiano di Asiago) in northern Italy.

This mountain railroad was a remarkable work of engineering, inaugurated in 1910 and was used to connect the Venetian plain to the Asiago plateau, going up the most challenging stretches of the hills at a speed of 10 km per hour. Along the small rail track that are no longer in use and dismantled are these stone cottages which today have been restores and are privately owned.

To take this shot, I used a tripod and a protective umbrella against the snow blizzard that was coming down whilst shooting. It has become habit for me to carry microfibre cloths to keep my camera dry while setting up the shot. I also overexposed as I wanted the shot to be as white as possible, still maintaining the colours in the stone cottage.