Lido – ‘Welcome to the Shithole of Satan’ (2014-)
24 May 2017

My initial exploration of Lido di Ostia, (a coastal region that was originally the ancient port of Rome and location of a summer villa for Mussolini)  was part of the ongoing Landscape at Risk project by MAXXI.  Ostia suffers from the fact that while still politically and economically part of the city of Rome it is at one removed from the ‘centre’ and as a result, is at ongoing risk of neglect. It has the potential to be quite special but somehow always seems to be on the verge of decline. Corruption and neglect infuse the subtitle which is a direct quote from a local woman who saw me making photographs. Her comments express vividly  many encounters I had with local people who seemed angry and yet resigned to the fate of their chosen place of habitation.