5 Minutes With Stefano Ferro

For McCool Travel’s 134th travel profile, I am happy to introduce you to Stefano Ferro. Stef is a brilliant photographer I discovered through my online travel exploits. He regularly appears in the top 10 of the top 1000 Travel Bloggers list (number 3 this week) and I wanted to know more about him. So I asked …
Stefano Ferro‘s bio: “Stefano is the travel photographer and founder of MEL365.com. Stefano is a professional photographer with experience in feature films and cycling photography. His work at the Tour De France 2014 attracted a wide audience on CyclingTips—one of the most important and authoritative websites—and magazines in Australia and Italy. Since 2015 he has been working full-time on MEL365.com, a website dedicated to travel and photography, in collaboration with major camera brands as Sony, Fujifilm, and Panasonic.”

McCool Travel interview with Stefano Ferro
Stefano Ferro

Stefano Ferro

Hometown …
My hometown is Varese, a small city in Italy a few km from the Swiss border, right in the middle of the lakes area (Como, Maggiore, etc). I left over 25 years ago and, especially after a recent trip, I can say how amazing and beautiful is the surrounding. No wonder George Clooney decided to move there too. LOL
Always in my luggage …
I run a travel photography website for one main reason, my passion for photography. When preparing my luggage, my attention does not go to clothes, shoes, books, etc. It all goes to my photography gear. The camera is always the same, but what lenses should I take? It’s always a compromise of light travelling and right photography gear. I wrote more in this article about the best lenses for travelling and how do I choose them based on my trip.
3 favorite home-away-from-home places …
I am not sure why but I always feel at home when I fly to Greece, and this is not an easy flight with at least 24 hours on the airplane (from Australia). My favourite home-away islands are:

  1. Crete
  2. Astypalaia
  3. Naxos
McCool Travel interview with Stefano Ferro
photo credit: Stefano Ferro, MEL365.com

A favorite travel memory is …
My first trip when I was 18 years old. Riding my motorbike from Italy to Barcelona, but somehow ending up in Morocco with new friends met on the road. The unpredictable situations of travelling.
3 favorite travel brands …

  1. Fujifilm for travel photography, light and beautiful cameras/lenses
  2. Etihad for my flights
  3. AirBnb and HotelsCombined for accommodation

3 money-saving travel tactics I use (before trips) are …

  1. Off season travelling
  2. Booking flights in Incognito mode and/or with proxy servers. The same flight may cost differently based on the country you book from.
  3. Booking accommodation just before leaving and grab the last second deals

3 ways that I have fun while traveling are …

  1. Photographing, my main passion
  2. Action activities, I get bored on a sunbed
  3. Cycling through a new city, exploring every single corner, from sunrise to sunset

8 word (or less) travel mantra …
A ship in harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for.” (oops, probably more than 8 words).
favorite non-travel website …
DPReview.com (sorry, always about photography)

McCool Travel interview with Stefano Ferro of MEL365.com
Twelve Apostles, Australia, photo credit: Stef Ferro, MEL365.com

most memorable souvenir …
an old soda bottle bought in a street market somewhere in Hungary
favorite cheap eat …
Malaysian food, Char kway teow is my favourite, especially when in Penang, the street food mecca!!
recent discovery …
I am actually good in teaching LOL. Some months ago I have started running photography workshops and I am enjoying it. I guess when there is passion in something, doesn’t matter the subject, it all comes very easy.
I am fortunate to have met …
I am fortunate to have met Turia Pitt during a 4,000km bicycle charity ride. Turia was was caught in a bushfire in 2011 during an ultramarathon. She suffered burns to 65% of her body and had four fingers from her left hand and her right thumb amputated. I don’t know how many operations she has been undergoing, probably closed to 3 digits now. But still always super motivated, always pushing the limits, always positive, always optimistic, never giving up. We spent many day days cycling together, up to 250km/day, and she was the one pushing always to the limit. Most definitely she is my inspirational model. I have learnt a lot from her determination and way of living. Turia is now a motivationalist and author.
I would like to meet …
Cadel Evans, probably our greatest Australian rider, winner of a Tour De France. Cycling is my other passion and he is such a strong minded person beside a unique cyclist.

McCool Travel interview with Stefano Ferro
road cycling in Australia. photo credit: Stefano Ferro, MEL365.com

Thank you so much, Stef, for taking a few minutes to share travel inspiration and tips.
Follow Stefano Ferro on TwitterInstagramFacebook, Pinterest, and MEL365.com.


Check out McCool Travel’s previous profilesMcCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Previous 5 Minutes post: Jessica Lipowski.


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