Although this project began as a way for me to become acquainted with film photography and a new culture, it developed into a metaphor for how we are inherently drawn to places that are rooted in personal experience.

Growing up in an extremely rural town with a population of about 1,000 people, I had always dreamed of traveling abroad and living in a city. During my time in Florence, I realized that while I enjoyed living in the bustling city, I was often more interested in exploring the outskirts that were more residential and desolate. This experience of photographing intimate scenes in these quieter, vacant areas revealed to me that my identity and interests are shaped by growing up in a small town.

While this project is personal to my own experience, we all have a point in our lives when we realize that our identity is influenced by a sense of place.