Experiment Via di Pré, the photographic project which I’m proposing here, is a series of news reports based on Genoa, mainly along Via Di Pré road and in and around the neighbouring streets and alleys. Even though this road is quite short (450m), a large number of people from all around the world live and work here. In this small space, cultures, religions, customs and beliefs from all corners of the planet co-exist peacefully. However, this variety is not always seen by everyone as positive, quite the opposite. Sadly, these places are often marginalized because their inhabitants are considered “different” from what people are used to. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for people who gravitate towards these “different” realities to become unintentional victims of cultural stereotypes. Aided by an exterior narrative which attributes crime and delinquency without pausing to consider the real issues which cause social exclusion, they damage those who live their lives conscientiously, respectably and respecting the rules which govern a modern, civil society. In actual fact, this area is considered a “red zone” by many of the city’s inhabitants who avoid it like the plague. Many Genoese people don’t actually know that the majority of the people living here are people who work, who have dreams, weaknesses, needs, and that they experience achievements and problems like all of us.

In this area, there’s a high proportion of charitable and non-charitable organizations which help foreigners disentangle themselves from long and complex bureaucracy or simply support them by offering those services, those practices of integration which still sometimes seem full of gaps and poorly consolidated, both on an institutional level and a collective cultural level. In the Via di Pré area, many people work individually or with organizations to make life a little easier for those who are struggling. Their commitment is to not leave anybody behind by creating and facilitating points of connection which by now are deeply-rooted between different cultures and ethnic groups. Together, the inhabitants of the area live in and share an urban habitat where they have been able to establish good practices which allow the growth of harmony, culture, respect, exchange; all the displays of plurality which should be at the heart of a modern human society.

I believe that this multi-ethnic, anthropological social laboratory, made up of many stories which are amongst themselves intertwined and where everyone plays a leading role, is a model of the ideal modern society, perhaps too modern for our times: an inclusive society oriented towards the common good, in which the concept of community is clear without forgetting one’s own traditions or wanting to forgo one’s own space. A community which is unfortunately still too marginalized because of a limitation we call “difference” and which is still considered a threat to native practices and customs. This inevitably leads to social tension and disregard for one’s neighbor.