When I met him in 1972, Antonio had just built a shack to take refuge.
In the search for “real” encounters in the suburbs of Milan my heart was filled with bitterness for the discomfort I saw. The city was a machine, but Antonio did not want to be crushed by it: “I am a rebel and I want freedom and justice for everyone”. Being rebellious for him meant choosing his own life and reaffirming his own diversity.
I photographed the outskirts of Milan for years and for all the time Antonio lived in the shack, no one chased him away. I had time to meet his partner and their son. His naive adventure was accepted and respected and did not end in internment in a psychiatric hospital.