Exploring Eritrea's Italian Past

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Jun 27, 2016 8:00 AM CUT

The Hotel Torino, in the old section of the city of Massawa.

The Hotel Torino, in the old section of the city of Massawa.

The Hotel Torino, in the old section of the city of Massawa.Clara Vannucci

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Olivier Laurent

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Jun 27, 2016 8:00 AM CUT

There’s spaghetti and pizza, cappuccinos and café lattes. The local cinema shows La Dolce Vita, and most people will answer you in Italian. But this isn’t Italy. It’s Asmara, Eritrea’s capital on the edge of the Horn of Africa.

The country, a former Italian colony, gained its independence in 1993 after 50 years of turmoil — the British expelled the Italians in 1941 before Ethiopia annexed the region in the 1950s — but has retained a strong Italian heritage.

“Everybody in Italy has someone in his family that lived or worked in Eritrea,” says photographer Clara Vannucci, whose own great-grandfather worked as a doctor in the former colony. And yet, she says, nobody in Italy seems to talk about it today. “At school, we spend a lot of time studying World War II but we didn’t study Eritrea, even though it’s part of the history of our country.”

Driven by a desire to learn more, Vannucci traveled to Eritrea. Most journalists have been banned from the country as the government, led by Isaias Afwerki, has “imposed a reign of fear through systematic and extreme abuses of the population,” according to a 2015 United Nations Human Rights Council report. So Vannucci, accompanied by documentary director Manfredi Lucibello, traveled on a tourism visa rather than a media visa. As she worked in the streets of Asmara, she’d often have to hide their cameras—but the fact that she is Italian helped. “People would just talk with me,” she says. “They would hear me speaking Italian and couldn’t wait to hear all about Italy.”

This curiosity is understandable, says the 30-year-old photographer. As the political and economic situation in Eritrea has remained dire – just last week fighting was reported on the border with Ethiopia – young Eritreans are increasingly trying to leave the country for Europe. “There’s only electricity and water a two hours a day,” she says. “There’s no future. There are no jobs.”

But Vannucci doesn’t want her work to be about the country’s current political state. “It’s about history,” she says.

Clara Vannucci is a documentary photographer based in Italy.

Alice Gabriner, who edited this photo essay, is a senior international photo editor at TIME.

Olivier Laurent is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @olivierclaurent

Cinema Impero, an art deco-style cinema in Asmara, Eritrea 2016.

Cinema Impero, an art deco-style cinema in Asmara, Eritrea 2016. Clara Vannucci

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A woman at the market in Asmara.

A woman at the market in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

A night bar in the city of Keren, Eritrea.

A night bar in the city of Keren, Eritrea. Clara Vannucci

The empty building of a former restaurant in Asmara.

The empty building of a former restaurant in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

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A woman at the berbere spice mixing market.

A woman at the berbere spice mixing market. Clara Vannucci

Exterior of the Cinema Roma, in Asmara.

Exterior of the Cinema Roma, in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

On the street at night in Asmara.

On the street at night in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

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The berbere spice mixing market in Asmara.

The berbere spice mixing market in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

Interior of Asmara's Opera house.

Interior of Asmara's Opera house. Clara Vannucci

The swimming pool in Asmara, built in 1945 by Arturo Mezzedimi.

The swimming pool in Asmara, built in 1945 by Arturo Mezzedimi. Clara Vannucci

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Children playing next to a Fiat Uno car on the streets of Massawa.

Children playing next to a Fiat Uno car on the streets of Massawa. Clara Vannucci

The Italian School of Asmara.

The Italian School of Asmara. Clara Vannucci

Bar Vittoria in Asmara, with original design from the 1950's.

Bar Vittoria in Asmara, with original design from the 1950's. Clara Vannucci

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The Fiat Tagliero service station, by architect Giuseppe Pettazzi.

The Fiat Tagliero service station, by architect Giuseppe Pettazzi. Clara Vannucci

A staircase in Asmara, by architect A. Bibolotti.

A staircase in Asmara, by architect A. Bibolotti. Clara Vannucci

Fiat 600 used for driving test in Asmara.

Fiat 600 used for driving test in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

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A graveyard of military tanks and other relics of war in Asmara.

A graveyard of military tanks and other relics of war in Asmara. Clara Vannucci

A wedding ceremony at an Orthodox Church in Massawa.

A wedding ceremony at an Orthodox Church in Massawa. Clara Vannucci

The Hotel Torino, in the old section of the city of Massawa.

The Hotel Torino, in the old section of the city of Massawa. Clara Vannucci

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The Bank of Italy building, built by the Italian's in the 1920's.

The Bank of Italy building, built by the Italians in the 1920s. Clara Vannucci

Street view of Massawa.

Street view of Massawa. Clara Vannucci

Portion of the railroad from Asmara to Massawa.

Portion of the railroad from Asmara to Massawa. Clara Vannucci

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Streets damaged during war time in Massawa.

Streets damaged during war time in Massawa. Clara Vannucci

A man on a street in Massawa.

A man on a street in Massawa. Clara Vannucci

Dissie Island, dahlak archipelago

Fishermen looking out to sea, Dissie Island, Dahlak Archipelago. Clara Vannucci