Venezia 1973/1978

Despite its already falling population figures, the Venice Toni Nicolini photographed in the 1970s still comes across as a city teeming with life: children and the elderly wandering along the calli, washing strung between houses, small shops and neighbourhood bars. Before the onset of hordes of tourists, Nicolini captured the essence of daily life in an extraordinary city, yet one just like any other. There is no shortage of churches, monuments, St Mark’s Square under high water, gondolas and vaporetti; however, the Milanese photographer is keen to document everything, even the damage caused by the Marghera petrochemical plant, following a vein of civic engagement that runs throughout his photography. Nicolini’s great sensitivity – the Truffaut of Italian photography – captures the genuine spirit of the times: he depicts the youth of a society in flux, in a series of photographs that portray a Venice both familiar and unknown.