Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes.

© Claudia Borgia - View from the roof of the third bridge. © Claudia Borgia - Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment. © Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project View all images ↓
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Laurentino 38, known asThe Bridges, is a place suspended between two extremes: the concrete of abandonment and the tenacity of those who inhabit it. Within this tension, between absence and presence, neglect and reorganization, the project takes shape.

Laurentino 38 is a public housing complex on the southern outskirts of Rome, known as “the bridges” for its elevated structures. Built in the 1970s as a model of urban integration, the neighborhood is now marked by architectural decay and institutional neglect.

The project examines how, within this context, informal networks and local anchors have rebuilt social connections where infrastructure has failed: a boxing coach; an elderly man who has supported neighborhood youth for decades; local shopkeepers.

The current phase focuses on the school, exploring the role of local institutions as spaces of prevention and trust-building. Teachers and staff at the Domenico Bernardini primary school operate daily as a social anchor for children and families.

© Claudia Borgia - View from the roof of the third bridge.
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View from the roof of the third bridge.

© Claudia Borgia - Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.
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Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Children leaning out from the elevated courtyard, overlooking the street below where the Marinetti–Baudelaire bus stop is located.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Simone training in the boxing gym. Among the “bridges” of Laurentino, there is a boxing gym that trains not only bodies, but stories.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Martina training in the boxing gym. Among the “bridges” of Laurentino, there is a boxing gym that trains not only bodies, but stories.

© Claudia Borgia - Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.
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Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Among the bridges of Laurentino, a boxing gym trains not only bodies, but stories.Antonio, a former professional boxer, keeps it alive — not from the neighborhood, but for the neighborhood. For many young people, he is more than a coach: he listens, guides, and, when needed, offers shelter. In a world that asks for something in return, Antonio simply gives.

© Claudia Borgia - The bus stop under the fourth bridge.
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The bus stop under the fourth bridge.

© Claudia Borgia - Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.
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Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment. A Ukrainian family once lived here.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Interior of the occupied third bridge, evicted in 2014 and now left in a state of abandonment. A Ukrainian family once lived here.

© Claudia Borgia - Former Polisportiva Joyce sports center.
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Former Polisportiva Joyce sports center.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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In 1983, Alfredo Tonelli turned an empty space in Laurentino into a sports court that kept many young people off the streets.Destroyed by fire in 2019, it never lost its spirit. In this image, Alfredo repairs the net of a football goal — caring for what remains. He still shows up every evening, offering pizza, advice, and constancy.

© Claudia Borgia - Childhood friends.Lives shaped by struggle, illness, and grief — held together by loyalty and care.
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Childhood friends.Lives shaped by struggle, illness, and grief — held together by loyalty and care.

© Claudia Borgia - Simona surrendering to her son’s embrace.
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Simona surrendering to her son’s embrace.

© Claudia Borgia - Image from the Bridges, a place suspended between two extremes. photography project
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Veronica moved to Laurentino for love. Together with her mother-in-law, she opened a small fruit and vegetable shop that has become a cornerstone of the fifth bridge community.

© Claudia Borgia - Late summer social life between the fourth and fifth bridges.
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Late summer social life between the fourth and fifth bridges.

© Claudia Borgia - Laurentino planters, conceived with the same strict geometry as the buildings and bridges that define the area.
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Laurentino planters, conceived with the same strict geometry as the buildings and bridges that define the area.

© Claudia Borgia - A mother and her daughter walking together through the streets of the neighborhood.
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A mother and her daughter walking together through the streets of the neighborhood.

© Claudia Borgia - View of Laurentino from its perimeter, marked here by Via Carlo Levi.
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View of Laurentino from its perimeter, marked here by Via Carlo Levi.