On the eastern outskirts of the Italian capital, nestled between long-abandoned factories and new residential neighborhoods, lie hidden fragments of the Roman countryside dating back to the 19th century. That era saw an attempt—following the unification of Italy—to reclaim land in the Aniene area near Rome and improve its irrigation system.
The experiment was short-lived; Rome expanded rapidly, and the capital was never destined to be an agricultural hub—least of all in its eastern zone, which was dominated by the massive 20th-century factories that remained largely operational until just a few decades ago. Only a few remnants of this landscape—so fundamentally shaped by human hands—survive today. I love to capture them when the light lends them a poetic quality and when the only trace of human presence is found in what lies scattered upon the ground.
