"I would willingly exchange every painting of Christ for one snapshot"
George Bernard Shaw
In 1968 a massive earthquake struck Sicily. Several towns in the Belice Valley were completely destroyed. These places were rebuilt in a brutalist fashion, often miles from their original location in both distance and design.
Billions were spent on the redevelopment, yet today immense, pristine churches dominate poor communities built from crumbling mafia concrete. Religion remains a central component of mafia identity, despite recent efforts by the Church to distance the two institutions.
Kids with nothing to do hang out smoking in the architectural shade, or light up thunderous firecrackers to the fury of the local housewives.
These images stand as testimony to how the money has been poured into monumental religious symbols and dubious construction contracts, at the expense of the future - the children trying to grow up there.