As well as being a marketing and digital communication strategist, Orazio Spoto is also co-founder of igersitalia, one of the most important communities of Instagram followers
Founding member of Obiettivo Camera, an association for professional photographers whose main aim is to spread the culture of photography in Italy, Spoto is also a speaker and communications expert on Instagram.
Since 2008 he talks about his passions on oraziospoto.it, and particularly the art of male travel, technology and his beloved swimrunning, a brand-new sport that combines swimming and running over challenging long-distance courses: from the forests of Germany to the Alpine lakes of Engadina and the Grado Lagoon.
How many shoes do you have in your wardrobe?
You know, I have a mania for lists. I make lists of everything, including my shoes.
So the answer is easy: 18!
How many do you buy per season?
I buy a pair of running or trail running shoes every 3 months, the time it takes me to run at least 400 km – the distance after which it is better to change your shoes in order to avoid problems.
My more formal shoes last much longer: I look after them myself and opt for the more classic styles. If I do buy them it’s just for fun, because I fancy them, but it doesn’t happen often.
I don’t get particularly attached to objects. With the exception of a pair of Ermenegildo Zegna Derby shoes I wore for my wedding.
What are your favourite shoes, the ones you would never throw away?
I don’t get particularly attached to objects. With the exception of a pair of Ermenegildo Zegna Derby shoes I wore for my wedding. I wore them for many years after that until, despite all the repairs, they just fell apart.
And which would you be quite happy to get rid of?
A pair of Hoka trail-running shoes: they’re very nice shoes but I bought the wrong size and realized too late. My nails were black for months.
Which are your “most social” shoes?
A pair of customised shoes from Dis (Design Italian shoes). I worked with them for a while, testing shoes and creating content.
In fact, as far as I know, they are still using one of my pictures in their brochure.
The strangest place I have ever gone barefoot was the road in Grado, at the end of a race
Italian shoes are…
Synonymous with quality and excellence.
An odd place where you went barefoot?
I walked barefoot along the road in Grado at the end of a race. My adrenaline was pumping and anyway it was a practical choice – my shoes were wet because I had just finished a swimrun race and hadn’t brought a spare pair!
