A woman in a magenta dress drinks coffee by a lakeside, while children play with balloons, a soccer ball, and run near stone steps under bright sunlight. A boat floats on the lake in the background.January – ‘That morning was made of mirrors. Silver flashes were reflecting all around, as clear as a child’s laughter.’

The Italian coffee brand Lavazza hired street photographer Alex Webb to shoot its 2026 calendar, using his colorful aesthetic to capture the essence of life in Italy.

As reported by Digital Camera World, Webb shot the project over the course of two weeks on his Leica M (Typ 240) rangefinder camera with a Summicron 35mm f/2 lens attached most of the time.

“I basically tried to recreate scenes that have a sense of energy and life and color,” Webb, who has been a member of Magnum photos since 1979, says in a behind-the-scenes video. “I’m very much a color photographer, I believe in the emotional quality of color, and so I tried to come up with scenes that have some kind of resonance along those lines.”

Webb adds that Italy has always had an “aesthetic tradition,” while invoking the Renaissance. “I tried to follow the light, and the colors, and the movements of people, and capture things that had a certain level of energy and resonance,” he adds.

Four servers in uniforms are in a restaurant; one serves fruit, another juggles an orange, a third presents dessert, and a seated server gestures with a hand. A server in the background is arranging food near a counter.February – ‘Let’s have a break’ Three women are in an art studio filled with white plaster sculptures and busts. One woman braids another’s gray hair while the third, seated, sketches flowers, with art supplies and an espresso cup on the table.March – ‘The statues, with their inscrutable faces and eyes, were initially stern judges of the works emerging from the women’s hands’
Five men in black robes, likely priests or seminarians, play bocce ball indoors on a yellow court. One sips from a cup, another watches from above behind a railing, while sunlight casts dramatic shadows across the scene.April – ‘Keep it playful’ A man in a yellow-striped shirt and blue pants sits on a green stool, drinking from a cup, in front of a bright yellow wall. In the background, a woman walks a large white dog up some stairs in the sunlight.May – ‘His sole desire was to become shadow, to melt into color, to savor an intense moment of pleasure’ Four women in vibrant dresses sit around a green table outdoors, with drinks and a cup of coffee. Bright sunlight casts dramatic shadows across the colorful scene and pink chairs. One woman dips a pastry into her coffee.June – ‘A ritual began: sip, dunk, bite then repeat’ Four people in swimsuits stand on a dock ladder above the water, while one person dives over the group and another in the water receives a drink from a woman on the ladder. The weather is sunny with a clear blue sky.July – ‘A day at the beach’ An older woman feeds a smiling child outdoors on rocky terrain, while a woman in teal sits on a pink towel above them. Another person stands in the background holding a red umbrella, with strong sunlight and shadows.August – ‘In an attempt to trick the sunset, they engaged the sun in a precious ritual: a few drops of coffee in the gelato cup’ A woman in a white dress smiles and dances with a man in a light suit on a boat deck, while other people in colorful outfits enjoy the sunny day in the background.September – ‘Cruising delight’ Four well-dressed people enjoy a lively conversation in a warmly lit restaurant. Two sit at a table with food and drinks, while one woman stands, smiling and offering a green clutch to another woman seated with a cup of coffee.October – ‘The dessert, the coffee, the companions, everything held its breath, waiting with a quiet joy’
Four men in colorful suits, two in blue and two in red, stand in a retro bathroom with mirrors. One man is seated, holding a cup and saucer while the others hold grooming tools, creating a surreal, theatrical scene.November – ‘In that interlude of pleasure within reach of a tray, everything became real’ Two women in brightly colored dresses laugh and celebrate on a balcony at night, with one holding an espresso cup and the other raising her arms, surrounded by bubbles and city lights.December – ‘A magic celebration’

Webb says that he likes to work early and late in the day when “the light comes down at a slant,” which produces more color and a “richness in tonality.” However, he did use artificial lights and mirrors for indoor scenes.

Image credits: Photographs by Lavazza / Alex Webb