Ofir – Diary of a Journey That Did Not Go as Planned

Camilla Pintonato

At the end of the 19th century, Giovanni Miani, an eclectic explorer and musicologist, set off for Africa on an impossible mission: to find the source of the Nile, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the time.

Through maps, travel notes, and stories gathered along the way, this book reconstructs a real-life expedition, transforming it into a visual narrative full of rhythm, curiosity, and humor. Miani would come closer to his goal than anyone else, only to miss it by a few kilometres due to a series of mishaps, poor choices, and strokes of bad luck.

Camilla Pintonato, one of the authors of the international bestseller Chickenology, blends non-fiction, storytelling, and illustration in a richly detailed style that will captivate anyone passionate about history, travel, and adventure. It is more than just the account of an exploration; it is a reflection on what it means to set out, to search, to fail, to persevere, and to keep chasing something that may never be found. A true story that becomes a great adventure book, perfect for curious readers of all ages.

Camilla Pintonato is an illustrator most days of the week, an author on Tuesdays (but only odd-numbered ones), a lawyer for lost causes on Saturdays, and a Sunday painter. She studied Design and Visual Communication at the IUAV University in Venice, attended the Mimaster in Milan, and completed her education at ISIA Urbino in 2017. She now lives and works in Venice.
She has authored several children’s books, including Pleine lune (Comme des Géants), Questo non è un pollo (Clichy), and the Mole Detective series (Terre di Mezzo). Her books have been translated into more than ten languages.