Silvia Camporesi documents the unimaginable flood in Romagna

Photographer Silvia Camporesi, a resident of Forlì, recounts the catastrophic flood in Emilia Romagna in May 2023. She describes the city split by the Schiavonia bridge, with the intact side unaware of the devastation beyond. Using a wader, she navigates the submerged urban park, where benches, swings, and a kiosk are half-underwater, and dead rabbits lie in the mud. She witnesses houses filled with mud, residents crying, and two deaths caused by people trying to save animals. Young volunteers, lacking boots, work barefoot with shovels. Camporesi reflects on the role of photography in preserving memory after the disaster.