A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibition celebrating the valuable contribution of first generation Italians that settled in Stroud after WWII is showing in town this week.

The images have been taken by freelance photographer, Fulvio Naselli, whose parents moved to Stroud in the 1940s and 1950s.

“I wanted to do something to honour and celebrate the Italian community that settled here,” he said.

There are stories of love and hardship, of men and women who met and fell in love, of Italians marrying Italians, Italians marrying Polish, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Latvians, Welsh, Irish or English people.

These people worked hard in local factories such as Newan Hender, Hoffmans, Daniels, R.G.Listers, Strachans, and in hospitals, including Stroud General, Stroud Maternity, Cashes Green and Standish.

“They gave so much to the local community and added a new dimension to the rich tapestry that is Stroud.”

The final image in Fulvio's series features third generation Italians, siblings Darren, Samantha and Jason Orsi. Stroud born brothers Darren and Jason are responsible for bringing the authentic taste of Tuscany to the town, at their popular take-away restaurant, Fat Toni's Pizzas.

"Portrait photography reveals something about the sitter and something about the photographer themselves," said Fulvio, who studied documentary photography at university as a mature student.

"I think it enables us almost to see ourselves, to see our own image mirrored in somebody else. There’s something in each of us that’s very similar."

The exhibition of 15 photos opens at the Museum in the Park on Saturday, where it will show for two weeks, and follows nearly three years of work. www.fulvionaselli.com