Tension is rarely far from the surface in Bologna, the capital of northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Autumn is the student protest-marching season, when students occupy buildings, run political discussions and hold demonstrations. These photographs were taken between 26 October and 3 November 2016 at a student protest against rising meal prices at the university canteen. Bologna… Read more »

Aloha Oe was on his way to becoming a well-known artist, painting on canvas and appearing in art galleries, when he discovered the world of street art. “I chose my street artist name when I was studying Gauguin at school in history of art. He used to say ‘aloha’, which is ‘hello’ in Hawaiian. I started to… Read more »

Hidden behind the graffiti and street-art walls of an abandoned warehouse in northern Italy, migrants gather in a classroom to learn Italian. This is Scuola di Italiano migranti – the Italian school for migrants.  “This place is beautiful. I learned Italian here. I have a lot of friends here. It’s like a big family,” Salman tells us…. Read more »

In 2015, a blog called Doppio Standard (Double Standard) was launched in Italy. It aims to challenge attitudes by talking about ‘slut shaming’, victim blaming, bullying, homophobia and gender stereotyping. Bloggers Mary, Tiziana and Barbara talk to Portraits from Italy about how they are using social media to reach a new generation of women. “My online activism… Read more »

Daniele Del Pozzo is artistic director of Bologna’s annual Gender Bender festival. It aims to explore perceptions of gender through art, theatre, debate, music and culture. “I moved to Bologna when I was 18 to study art, music and theatre. I decided that this was my new city. “In 1982 the city of Bologna gave the local gay… Read more »

Every sexual desire is a romantic request: this is the idea behind Goodnight, Peeping Tom, Chiara Bersani’s production for Bologna’s Gender Bender festival. It sees the body as a ‘political entity’ which is formed and transformed by society and the gaze of others – a central theme in the work of Bersani, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta or ‘brittle bone disease’. … Read more »

The Baobab is a prehistoric tree that grows in the dry African savannah. Known as the tree of life, it symbolises endurance in a landscape where little else can thrive.  It’s no surprise, therefore, that in a sometimes hostile world for refugees, a collective of volunteers in Rome known as the Baobab Experience is protecting them. “Thank you Baobab”… Read more »

Originally from Ethiopia, Germanish owns a Habesha restaurant in Bolognina, an inner-city district of Bologna with a thriving migrant community. “We’re like a big family here. The restaurant is going well, thank god. We cook Habesha food. We’re the only Ethiopian restaurant in Bologna. “I moved to Italy nine years ago to follow my sisters…. Read more »

Gianluca Costantini (Channel Draw) is a graphic journalist and activist. His art deals with human rights issues.  “I use drawings as activism. From the start, I was very engaged in politics. Then I covered the Arab Spring and the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul. “In time, I became more and more interested in people as individuals and the… Read more »

Welcome to Via Fondazza, a long porticoed street in the crayon-red historic centre of Bologna. This is where Federico Bastiani first opened Social Street, a Facebook page, in 2013. His aim was simply to make new friends. After posting a leaflet on his street inviting people to join, the group quickly grew and neighbours started talking to… Read more »

Ritmo Lento – ‘Slow Rhythm’ in Italian – is the name Pasquale and Alessandro chose when they founded a meet-up for young adults. Together they opened a self-funded bar in the San Carlo district of Bologna, where they hold regular talks and events in an attempt to ‘rebel against time’. “After university we found ourselves not knowing where to… Read more »

Cassette tapes are enjoying a revival, and in Italy the comeback is being led by Andrea, owner of Bologna‘s Yerevan Tapes. “Together with my girlfriend, Silvia, we started Yerevan Tapes,” Andrea told Portraits from Italy. “It’s quite experimental. We make ambient, electronics, industrial and techno. “The cassette, first of all, is a very beautiful object. It’s nostalgic and… Read more »

Riccardo La Corte had two great passions in life: cooking and rockabilly. In 2008 he opened his first American-style diner in Forlì. “I grew up listening to Elvis while attending cookery school. I’d always dreamed of becoming a chef and opening my own restaurant. “After several trips to the US, driving the state routes and backroads, I returned… Read more »

During term-time, Bologna‘s Via del Pratello teems with students enjoying the pubs, bars and cafes – not to mention a falafel and kebab house called Babilonia, owned by Masood. “I’m Persian. I moved to Italy in 1978. I had a business in Venice which went bust. I was an architect and I signed a contract I… Read more »