‘Morning Fog’ Giulio Montini, Casnate, Como, Italy

Giulio captured this image on a foggy autumn day, from a small church on a hilltop in the town of Airuno, Italy. Through the fog, and with the help of the trees, you can just about see the winding course of the river Adda, illuminated by the first lights of sunrise.

The streaks or beams of sunlight visible in this image are called crepuscular rays. They are made visible by the scattering of sunlight by particles such as small water droplets, dust or smoke suspended in the atmosphere. Usually, crepuscular rays radiate through gaps in the clouds, but in this photo the trees take the place of the clouds, casting shadows across the landscape, and the fog scatters the sunlight. Giulio had to be quick to take this photograph: within 20 minutes, the scene had completely changed.