At the dawn of the 1960s, the traumas of the war began to fade. The dream of a new Italy was emerging. The country started to believe in the “economic miracle.” Bruno Barbey was one of the first to capture this moment of transition. “To portray the Italians through images was the ambition of this project,” he said.

From North to South, from East to West, he photographed all social classes. Young people, aristocrats, nuns, beggars, and prostitutes filled his frames. His sharp yet benevolent gaze captured a society in motion. His images revealed the Italians.

Les Italiens is a vivid collection of the modern comédie humaine. It features beggars, priests, nuns, carabinieri, prostitutes, and mafiosi. These archetypal figures helped spread the exotic charm seen in the films of Pasolini, Visconti, and Fellini.

It is the Italy that “holds its head high” after the horrors and miseries of the war. The middle class, after much suffering, experienced the economic boom. It was an enthusiasm, perhaps illusory, for a new society. In some ways, it was too Americanized.

Music, fashion, and youth culture shaped the era. Rituals and trends flourished. People expressed their social status more clearly, with a little more money in their pockets.