Silvia Camporesi photographs Italy's lockdown emptiness

In April 2020, during Italy's strict COVID-19 lockdown, photographer Silvia Camporesi was commissioned by the MiBACT (Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities) to document the country's deserted landscapes. She received an official permit to travel and began her journey from Cesenatico, moving along the Adriatic coast to Lido di Classe, then inland to Lugo di Romagna. She captured empty beaches, closed amusement rides, and silent streets. Later she ventured into the Casentino forests, encountering a family of deer. In Forlì, she photographed the empty square in front of a museum hosting an Ulisse exhibition. Her final stop was city parks, where playground equipment was wrapped in caution tape. At the end of her assignment, a carabiniere stopped her and, despite her official permit, told her to go home. Camporesi, born in Forlì in 1973, is a photographer and video artist whose work draws from myth, literature, religion, and real life.