Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, among European Union member states, Italy was home to one of the largest communities of people of Ukrainian origin. According to data from the EU, over 200,000 Ukrainian citizens were living in Italy as of late 2020. This migration made them one of the most rooted foreign groups in the country, largely composed of women employed in family and health services for the elderly.
Photographer Chiara Negrello's grandmother Lidia Maggiolo was one of them. In 2020, after spending several months in the hospital due to COVID-19, when Lidia returned home, she was no longer autonomous. For this reason, her family decided to hire Lyubov Mala, a middle-aged Ukrainian caregiver. The project "Caring for our Past" begins in Negrello's childhood home, where she was curious about Lyubov's choices to live and work in Italy.
