Affittasi

Affittasi means: “for rent” in Italian.

Prato is a city in the center-north of Italy. Historically one of the wealthiest cities in the region thanks to its productive textile industries and the hard working mentality of the people. In the last decades, the stronger Asian competition and a disastrous national administration has created a dead end economical and social crisis that has radically changed the city.
The Medieval old center, once vibrant cornerstone of commerce and exchange has turned into a ghost town of rolling shutters. Despite the brave commitment of the young generation of entrepreneurs, who tried and continue to try to reanimate the major streets and squares of the midtown, the city’s streets are still filled with empty spaces and closed shutters. Signs on top of the doors remind us of the old commerce in all its variety and diversity. A characteristic that was attracting visitors from all over the Tuscany region.

I started photographing rolling shutters in 2014, in the streets where I used to hang around in my youth. In my head I still had a clear memory of the shops when they were open and of the families who were running those business. Those doors became a sort of old portraits of those families that spent their lives into those spaces.

The project is edited into an artist self-made book, self-printed and hand bind.