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30 images Created 31 Oct 2010

A typical town in Campania region, Italy

Battipaglia is a town in the Campania region in the South of Italy. The town is one of the many in the area destroyed by camorra (local mafia). Everywhere there are signs of urban decay, which is only the visible part of a degeneration that goes well beyond it. Camorra has taken away vital infrastructures: schools and health clinics have closed down, parks and playgrounds are unsafe or no existent. the society is plagued by problems caused by unemployment and criminality, whilst corruption unables to improve the area. Recently, the news that waste management is in the hands of camorra came afore internationally, however for years toxic waste has been dumped on this land.
Battipaglia is not an unique place in a country that is losing its battle to corruption and criminality.
This is the first part of a photographic journey that I hope would shed some light to Italy today.
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  • Battipaglia is a town in the south west region of Campania in Italy. It is plagued by social problems caused by unemployment and crime. Sadly, it is not a unique example in a country that struggles to keep afloat.
    campania_NK2_9341_001.jpg
  • A subway that is another example of a useless construction. A lot of money is spent on useless constructions  as a cover of large sum of money. Most of this constructions are left unfinished.
    cd_campania_9345_002.jpg
  • Young people are left out by any government spending.. No in fractures to assist them. Battipaglia has no cinema, theatre or safe sporting grounds. Campania has a very high percetage of drug addicts.
    campania_NK2_9872-018.jpg
  • Teenagers and children have no place to go. There is a high percentage of drug users in the region.
    dambrosi_campania_002.jpg
  • Since the 1981 earthquake Battipaglia home office hasn't had a permanent address. The money which were sent from the central government disappeared..
    campania_NK2_9359_003.jpg
  • Today some of the town hall offices are in a disused stadium
    campania_NK2_9361_004.jpg
  • A clinic whose employees have not been paid for 15 months has closed down.
    campania_NK2_9363_005.jpg
  • dambrosi_campania_021.jpg
  • De Amicis primary school was closed down because of lack of funding. This was the main primary school in the centre of town.
    campania_NK2_9807_007.jpg
  • Alongside drugs and criminality prostitutionn is a rising concern. Whereas before was confined to the outskirts of the towns nowadays it is operating in the town centres.
    campania_NK2_9890_020.jpg
  • "I am not laughing and I am not forgetting" a protest bill poster against the local political party.
    campania_NK2_9811_010.jpg
  • For Italians the main square of a city is the fulcrum. This is the place where to leisure, to host events and to proudly show off a work of art and so on. Today many of the squares like the one in Battipaglia has only signs of urban decay and neglect.
    campania_NK2_9841_011.jpg
  • Children and teenagers do not have places to play and the ones that are available have not been maintained for years.
    campania_NK2_9846_013.jpg
  • Playgrounds show signs of complete neglect.
    campania_NK2_9867_015.jpg
  • In the last few years the region of Campania has hit headlines for its inability to manage waste in the hands of the Camorra lucrative business.
    campania_NK2_9860_014.jpg
  • The  stadium was supposed to be the pride of the city. It has hardly ever operated as a stadium. Today is just left to degrade as everything else.
    campania_NK2_9892_021.jpg
  • Many homes and buildings are not populated because illegally built.
    campania-NK2_9840_012.jpg
  • Most of the town hall offices are in various places around the town. After the earthquake of 1981, the historical building that used to hold the town hall was fairly damaged. Money sent from the central government for its reconstruction disappears as soon as it arrives.
    NK2_9360.jpg
  • Many homes have asbestos roof tiling. People have little knowledge of the asbestos danger to health neither is the local government enforcing regulations regarding its use.
    NK2_9852.jpg
  • Since it has become public knowledge the extent of the damages caused by the illegal dumping of waste to the health and the environment, the people living in the region have been fighting for the waste landfills  to be closed down.
    NK2_9865.jpg
  • A factory closed down from years in the centre of the town.
    NK2_9355.jpg
  • The local market used to be something that the local were proud of. Today not many people is even going to shop in it.
    NK2_9377.jpg
  • The stadium of Battipaglia is another example of a corruption ring in the construction business. The stadium was only open and used as such for a football season. In a matter of a 3 months period the stadium was closed down and left it as such. Today the local town hall has some temporary offices in it.
    NK2_9396.jpg
  • A touring punc h and judy in the main square of the town.
    dambrosi_campania_014.jpg
  • Young people have no places to go. In Battipaglia there is no cinema, theatre, sports hall and organised activities for children and teenagers. The number of drug addicts among young people is very high.
    dambrosi_campania_046.jpg
  • This is the only park of the town and it is shows the extent of its neglect. For years it has not had a proper maintenance and care.
    NK2_9868.jpg
  • The stadium of Battipaglia is another example of a corruption ring in the construction business. The stadium was only open and used as such for a football season. In a matter of a 3 months period the stadium was closed down and left it as such. Today the local town hall has some temporary offices in it.
    NK2_9891.jpg
  • Many homes and buildings are not populated because are "abusive", which means they have been illegally built. Many private and construction companies often linked to camorra (local mafia) built homes before a permission was granted in a bid to have a fast track approval once the property was already built. This bad practice has created a large environmental problem because vast amount of land that was meant for conservation has been destroyed.
    dambrosi_campania_011.jpg
  • The main school in the centre of the town has recently closed down due to lack of fundings.
    dambrosi_campania_008.jpg
  • Although most people may have difficulty in finding work and there is a lack of social services, wedding celebration are very pompous and extravagant.
    dambrosi_campania_048.jpg