A Blog on the People of a small village in Reggio Calabria,Italy
In 1990,I traveled with my 2 sons and my wife to Cirella,Reggio Calabria. I had the privilege ,to enter the lives of the people of Cirella ,a small village in the mountains of Reggio Calabria.I was determined to photograph as many villagers as possible as they went about in their daily activities, from the making of tomato sauce....to the religious festivities of San Rocco.After all,I was my fathers’ son. One day, as I was walking the old streets,I heard a shrill whistle emanating from a basement dwelling .As I looked about somewhat dumbfounded,I discovered the origin of the whistle.There she was . An old lady with dark olive colored skin ,grey viscous eyes ,and a golden tooth smile. She invited me into her home ,offered me a cup of expresso and spoke to me in a vivid floral language ,particular to this area of the world, for close to 2 hours. . She sat stoically, upright, on one her wooden stumps replaying familiar stories to me ....while I snapped away. What is truly special and significant that one takes away from this series of portraits,is the look that fell upon me. Not only do these portraits, fill the frames with a proud sense of ownership ,of their lives , but of their unbridled trust in me . Because of this,I had carte blanche to move about in their daily lives, to trek in familiar holy grounds,to wonder aimlessly within the village walls , to capture a slice of their lives. Whomever that would dare to sneak a peek through their old wooden doors. and who were brave enough to come out of their homes ( and there were many!) to share their life stories,I snapped away.The portraits mirror the obvious. That I was one of them..That I am one of them. Something I cannot repudiate . Their eyes professed such a claim!! I hope,or rather wish, that these images will illicit strong emotions.,that they resonate in places within the silent walls of your heart ,that have been dormant for such a long time.To come to the realization that we all belong to something,someone,some place.That’s all [email protected] /https://brunomediatiphotography.blogspot.ca/ ALL PICTURES TAKEN IN CIRELLA ,REGGIO CALABRIA
