Shaded : La Dolce Vita

I have been living in Italy for the past five years. Since I arrived, immigration has increased and is becoming a big issue for some Italians, in particular to some of the older generation, or to those that come from low income background . The older generation holds to their recent past of forty years of economical growth, and movies like, " La Dolce Vita", that mirrored a status of wealth, style, and nobility among Italians, is not longer there. Right now large number of immigrants are coming from Africa, with less from Asia, and Middle Eastern Countries. In the past, Italy experienced immigration from Eastern European countries. I remember when I visited during that time, how crime was blame to the new comers, and right now this is what is happening. The bad and the ugly can only come from them, as politicians from the extreme right continuously repeat to gain votes. In the process of documenting this, as a Colombian American, and living most of my life in USA, I feel that their complains are more about issues of race and belief. A country that is mostly Catholic, proud of their cuisine more than their flag, and feverish for soccer, are scared of loosing their" identity" or is is race (?) that for me, is a blend of their remote past. Just like Marco Polo went to Asia, Christopher Colombo to the Americas, and many during the 1900 left Italy in search for something better, these are the faces of the new comers. They are also in search of a better life. They are not robbing Italians of their Identity but enriching it.