Niccolò Banfi
Niccolò Banfi is an Italian explorer, photographer, and speaker whose work focuses on the planet’s most isolated islands and the human stories connected to them
REMOTE
NESS
Eyes To The Edge
The most remote islands on Earth. Where silence tells more than any word.
/ Remote Islands of the World
THE GLOBE
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/ Remoteness
Manifesto
To tell the stories of the world’s remote islands through the eyes of the people who live there, and to turn those stories into tangible support for conservation and development projects led by local communities.
/ The Founder
Niccolò Banfi
Milan, 1987. Years in fashion marketing, a solid career that felt increasingly far from what actually mattered.
In 2022 he left it all. From Ushuaia he crossed the South Atlantic on a century-old Dutch sailing ship, through Antarctica, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha. the most isolated inhabited island on Earth.
It was out there, far from everything, that he found his direction. The further away, the clearer it became. Remoteness is not just the name of the project. It is the answer.
In 2024, the South Pacific. In 2025, the Antarctic Peninsula. Summer 2026: the Arctic, aboard a NATO vessel with the Italian Navy.
His book Alla Ricerca dell'Isola che non c'è was published by Mondadori in May 2025.
- Born
- Milan, Italy1987
- Book
- Alla Ricerca dell'Isola che non c'èMondadori · May 2025
- Expeditions
- South Atlantic · South Pacific · Antarctic Peninsula · Arctic2022 - 2026
- Ocean Miles
- 13,200+ nautical miles3 ocean crossings
- Ambassador
- One Ocean FoundationOcean conservation advocate
- Featured
- RAI · Corriere della Sera · Vanity Fair · La Repubblica · Men's HealthNational & international press
- Community
- 450K+ followers · 8% engagementInstagram · Facebook
/ Team
MEET THE TEAM
Marco
Expedition photographer and navigator. Marco has spent the last decade documenting remote island communities across the Pacific, and leads the on-board film and photo crew.
- 13,200nm
- Ocean miles sailed
- 30+
- Remote islands documented
- 450k
- Global community
/ Ocean Crossings
EXPEDITIONS
— 2025 · 2026
Polar Frontiers
Antarctica → Arctic
From the Antarctic Peninsula to the High North aboard the NATO vessel Alliance — documenting the planet's two poles.
- 2025
- Antarctic Peninsula
- 2026
- Arctic Mission — Marina Militare
- Focus
- Climate · Ice · Ecosystems
— 2022
Southern Ocean
Ushuaia → Cape Town
52 days crossing the South Atlantic. Through Antarctica, South Georgia, and the most isolated inhabited island on Earth.
- Distance
- 5,600 nm
- Duration
- 52 days
- Stops
- Antarctica · S. Georgia · Tristan
— 2024
South Pacific
Easter Island → Fiji
6,500 miles following the ancient Polynesian route. Communities at the edge of climate collapse, still resisting.
- Distance
- 6,500 nm
- Duration
- 90 days
- Stops
- Pitcairn · Gambier · Tahiti · Tonga
/ Vessels of Remoteness
THE SHIPS
south atlantic
Bark Europa
1911Three-masted barque
Built in Hamburg in 1911. One of the last working tall ships crossing the Southern Ocean.
south atlantic
El Galeón Andalucía
200916th-century galleon replica
A faithful replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon. Built in Seville, sailing the world.
upcoming
Belem
1896Three-masted barque · French heritage vessel
Built in 1896 in Nantes. The last three-masted barque of the French merchant navy still sailing.
arctic
NRV Alliance
1986NATO research vessel
The most advanced NATO oceanographic research ship. Arctic Mission 2026.
/ Our Ecosystem
Beyond the Horizons
Remoteness extends into two distinct entities, each with its own mission and identity.
/ Creative Production · remoteness.studio
Documentary production, brand collaborations, visual storytelling.
/ Ocean Conservation · remoteness.foundation
Supporting remote island communities in their environmental protection projects.
/ As Featured In
PRESS & MEDIA
Corriere della Sera
Il fotografo milanese che ha lasciato tutto per navigare verso le isole più remote del pianeta
2024
Vanity Fair
Alla ricerca dell'isola che non c'è: l'avventura di Niccolò Banfi tra i luoghi più lontani dalla civiltà
2025
Radio Deejay
Remoteness: il progetto di documentazione delle isole remote che ha conquistato 450mila follower
2025
/ Published Work
/ Published Work
Alla Ricerca dell'Isola che non c'è
Mondadori · May 2025
A journey across the South Atlantic in search of the world's most remote islands. A book about distance, belonging, and the moment you realize that getting lost was the point.
- Publisher
- Mondadori
- Published
- May 2025
- Language
- Italian
/ Work Together