In the spring of 2024, shortly after moving to Italy, I was commissioned to photograph five Italians for an @italysegreta feature — written by Gesu Antonio Baez (@zingarello1988) — about Italians of mixed race. The interviews explore the perspective of ‘Mixed Italians’ (both mixed race and Italians of foreign descent) and what it means to be Italian, from a different setting. True to the romance that Italy Segreta provides to its readers, this piece explores the romance of being Italian with a splash of something else. Namely, describing their experiences, highs and lows of everyday life, the struggles mixed Italians face (racism and prejudice) — but also the absolute joy they feel in being Italian (with a few food recommendations of course!) Each person was photographed in the backdrop of their city, in a place that holds meaning for them. The purpose of the shots is to evoke a new face of Italy. One that was always there but was hidden. I was so grateful to meet Gesù, Amir, Francesca, Désirée and Karem in cities all over Italy. Thank you Marina and Anna for trusting me with capturing the photography for this beautiful piece, and thank you Mario at COLLA Milano for bringing them to life.