The rescue vessel Aquarius is operated by the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF).

A rubber boat in distress with 120 people on board is found approximately 23 miles north-east of Tripoli (Libya).

Three women on board the SOS Méditerranée rescue rhib that will transfer them to the Aquarius, just after being rescued from a rubber boat in distress.

Evening muslim prayer on board the Aquarius, the night before disembarkation in Brindisi (Italy).

Charminng old style rounded building in Barcelona city centre.

Tokyo (Japan), Dec 9th 2016. At the Sensō-ji Buddhist temple in the Asakusa area, a man prays and fan incense smoke towards himself. According to the tradition, this smoke is believed to have healing powers and devotee should fan it towards the part of their body they would like to heal or improve.

Even if estimates suggest that 84–96 percent of the Japanese population subscribe to Shintoism, Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since its official introduction in 552 AD by Korean Buddhist monks. Buddhism has had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture to this day.

Tokyo (Japan), Dec 10th 2016. Under the neon lights of Tokyo’s Shibuya business and commercial area, numerous pedestrian cross the street during the evening rush area.

This crossing, also known as “The Scramble” is believed to be the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, with up to 2,500 people crossing it at once, 45,000 every half an hour. With more than 35 millions inhabitants, Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area.

A procession through the streets of Querétaro, with a rooster referring to the tradition of ‘palenque’ (Mexican cockfight).

Barcelona, Aug 7th 2016. In Plaça Sant Felip Neri, one of Barcelona’s most evocative squares, a musician plays the cello and is observed by a tourist.

The walls of this square, behind the cello player, are still marked with the holes provoked by a bomb dropped by fascist planes in 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, that ended the lives of 42 people.

Nowadays, Barcelona is a popular tourist destination, and tourism numbers in the city are staggering: more than 8 million people visited the city in 2016 alone.

Aug 16th 2016, Barcelona (Spain). A ‘castell’ – a human tower built in traditional festivals at many locations within Catalonia, Spain – is built by a group of ‘castellers’ in Gràcia, one of Barcelona’s historic district.

On November 16, 2010, ‘castells’ were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Brindisi’s port (Italy), Sep 14h 2016. A group of migrants rescued at sea from a boat in distress and disembarked by the rescue vessel Aquarius in Brindisi (Italy), are informed about their rights by a UNHCR’s representative.

The European migrants crisis remains dramatic in 2016. And if in 2015 the Balkans were the main point of entrance, after the EU-Turkey deal on refugees repatriation, in 2016 the Central Mediterranean Route is once again the busiest, and deadliest.

According to the IOM (International Organization for Migration), in 2016 alone more than 181,000 migrants reached Italy by sea, and more than 4,900 people died in the attempt.

Sep 12th 2016, Mediterranean Sea, a few miles off the coasts of Libya. A group of migrants rescued from a boat in distress at open sea are transferred from an Italian navy ship to the Aquarius rescue vessel that will take them to Brindisi, Italy.

The European migrants crisis remains dramatic in 2016. And if in 2015 the Balkans were the main point of entrance, after the EU-Turkey deal on refugees repatriation, in 2016 the Central Mediterranean Route is once again the busiest, and deadliest.

According to the IOM (International Organization for Migration), in 2016 alone more than 181,000 migrants reached Italy by sea, and more than 4,900 people died in the attempt.

Tokyo (Japan), Dec 4th 2016. Three girls play with rackets at the beach in Tokyo’s Odaiba area.

Odaiba is an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, it was developed since the 1990s as a major residential and leisure area. With more than 35 millions inhabitants, Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area and largest urban economy.

Tokyo (Japan), Dec 6th 2016. A man sits under leaves falling from the surrounding trees in the park belonging to the Meiji Shrine.

This park, located in central Tokyo, covers an area of 70 hectares covered by a forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.

Sep 3rd 2016, on board the Aquarius vessel. A group of dolphins play with the ship.

An high society crowd on its way to a private event at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Venice, Italy. A woman observe the city centre across the Giudecca canal.

A birds flock fly over the Giudecca Canal. The venetian lagoon is a complex and fragile ecosystem.

Sunset over Venice.

A group of sailors crosses the Scalzi bridge while some tourists observe the Grand Canal.

Venice, Italy.

One of the main streets of Tolimán at noon.

José Martín, from Tolimán, poses for a portrait. He sells ‘pulque’, an alcoholic beverage of ancient origins, made from the ‘maguey’ (agave).

Goats crossing a soccer field in Cerrito Parado, Tolimán.

A wall of one of the village houses.

Doña Fili, from Tolimán, at the town market.

Buckets of corn at the local mill.

Don Valente, from Tolimán, poses for a portrait in his corn field.

White and black corn. Mexico is home to more than 60 different native species of corn.

Doña Isabel, from Tolimán, in her ‘milpa’ (a plot of land typically cultivated with corn, chile, beans and zucchini).

A boy holding a grasshopper.

Eric, a young boy from Tolimán, poses for a portrait in front of the wall of his house.

A cross dominates a road intersection in Querétaro.

Locals observing the unfolding of the village celebrations.

The ‘chimal’ of San Miguel. During a celebration of pre-Hispanic origins, a huge structure covered with dasylirion leaves and filled with offers is raised in the main square of the village.

Boys from the village watch the ‘chimal’ of San Miguel being raised. The tradition wants them to be dressed like either indians or spaniards to stage the ‘Danza de la Conquista’ (The Dance of the Conquest).

A small altar in a street of Tolimán at night.

The streets of Tolimán at night.

A procession through the streets of Querétaro, with a rooster referring to the tradition of ‘palenque’ (Mexican cockfight).

The remains of a birthday party inside a house of Tolimán.

Milan central railway station.

Milan railway station, a group of migrants check the trains timetable.

Mattresses used by migrants to camp outside Milan train station.

A group of migrants outside the station in Milan.

Inside the migrants shelter built by the municipality of Milan inside the central railway station, a volunteer serve food to a group of Syrian refugees.

A migrant point out his next stop on the way to Germany, Innsbruck (Austria).

Gianluca Oss Pinter, a volunteer working in the migrants shelter inside Milan railway station. Since when he decided to help, he sleeps in a truck parked in front of the station and dedicates almost all his days to the cause.

Volunteers and migrants at the shelter inside Milan train station.

A Syrian refugee inside at migrants shelter in Milan.

A northbound night train before reaching the border with Austria.

Migrants reaching the border with Austria by train.

Brenner, the border railway station between Italy and Austria.

Italian police waiting for migrants at Brenner train station.

Mohammed Ismail (20, from Sudan). “So far, Europe treated me very well. In Libya if the police takes you to the police station you don’t know if you will come out alive. Everybody tries to rob you, you cannot trust anyone but your life is in their hands. Two of the migrants who were traveling with me died at sea while passing from a small overcrowded boat to a bigger even more overcrowded boat. In addition to the months of work in Libya I paid about $2,000 for the trip. It’s my family that pushed me to learn English, they knew I would need to go to Europe. I don’t do this trip for me but for them; as soon as I find a job I will start to send money to my family.”

A group of migrants waiting for a train to Austria at Brenner train station.

Attilio Dellera (Volontarius NGO), working at Brenner station. “Here at the Brenner border the flow of people pass quite unnoticed, but we are talking about 150-200 people a day. I started coming here as a volunteer, but then due to staff shortages Volontarius hired me, and here I am. We do what we can, but here you can often see shady figures… smugglers who ask for money to migrants to buy them the ticket (to Austria), or load them into a car and then unload them before the border.”

A group of migrants watched by the Italian police at Brenner train station. Austrian and German police stops migrants aboard international trains to Germany, but after formal routine controls Italian police do not identify them and let them proceed towards Austria and Germany.

A migrant shows his ticket to Munich, Germany.

A group of migrants waiting for a train to Austria at Brenner train station.

Migrants boarding an Austrian local train to Innsbruck at Brenner train station.

Sep 20th 2015, Harmica, Croatia.

Migrants travelling on the Balkan Route, stranded for days in Croatia after the Slovenian border was suddenly closed days before, protest asking for a reopening of the border.

Bregana, Croatia. Migrants blocked at the Slovenian border.

Harmica, Croatia. Migrants blocked at the Slovenian border.

Sep 26th 2015, Salzburg station (Austria).

Migrants travelling on the Balkan Route who are attempting to reach Germany by train, are retain by the Austrian police inside the railway station.

Bregana, Croatia. Migrants blocked at the Slovenian border.

Bregana, Croatia. Migrants blocked at the Slovenian border.

Sep 26th 2015, Austrian side of the border with Germany, near Salzburg.

A group of migrants travelling on the Balkan Route wait to cross the Saalach river, which marks the Austria-Germany border near Salzburg.

Heliegenkreuz, Austria. Migrants coming from Hungary wait to proceed towards Germany.

April 27th 2015, Austria – Germany border near Freilassing (Germany).

Migrants travelling on the Balkan Route, who just entered Germany from Austria, wait for the security screening by the German border police to be admitted into the country.

Sep 21st 2015, Hungary-Austria border, near Nickelsdorf.

A family and other migrants travelling on the Balkan Route take a break in Austrian territory after having walked (approximately 5 km) from the nearest Hungarian train station (Hegyeshalom).

Bregana, Croatia. Several local NGOs are providing food to the migrants stranded at the border with Slovenia.

Sep 21st 2015, Nickelsdorf (Austria).

Migrants travelling on the Balkan Route, surveilled by an Austrian soldier, wait to be admitted in Austria after having crossed the border with Hungary.

Nickelsdorf migrants reception centre, Austria. Migrants are routed to Germany on buses provided by the Austrian authorities.

Heliegenkreuz temporary migrants reception centre, Austria.

Bregana, Croatian side of the border with Slovenia. A young boy and his father while waiting to cross the border.

Sep 21st 2015, Nickelsdorf (Austria).

Migrant families traveling on the Balkan route cross the Hungary-Austria border near Nickelsdorf.

Sep 19th 2015, Harmica, Croatia.

One of the migrants travelling on the Balkan Route, stranded in Croatia at the border with Slovenia, and a police officer surveilling the area.

Nickelsdorf, Austria. Migrants coming from Hungary queue up for transportation to Germany.

Sep 21st 2015. Nickelsdorf reception camp, Austria.

An Austrian soldier monitors migrants in line to board buses which will take them either to other reception camps within the country or beyond the border, to Germany.

Sep 20th 2015, Heiligenkreuz refugee camp, Austria.

The night falls over a refugee camp where migrants travelling on the Balkan Route, who entered Austria from Slovenia or Hungary, spend the night in tents waiting to be relocated elsewhere.

The migrants stranded in Ventimiglia have become one of the symbols of the ongoing exodus of refugees, the largest since World War II.

Top view of the border between Italy and France, sealed to migrants by the French authorities since the beginnings of June. The initial makeshift camp is visible on the rocks beside the road.

Menton-Garavan railway station, serving the first town on the French side of the France-Italy border. Three police officers take a migrant pulled out of the train into custody.

Some of the tents initially used by the migrants to take shelter on the rocks, and a yatch on the background. The exclusive French Riviera is only a few hundreds metres away.

During a protest a few metres from the French border, the Italian police push back a group of activists and migrants.

The camp has been set up on the premises of the old Italian tourist office, under the railway that connects Italy to France.

Migrants during a protest, asking for a reopening of the border.

The camp has been set up on the premises of the old Italian tourist office, under the railway that connects Italy to France.

Bob (18, from Sudan), poses for a portrait. He says he is one of the few survivors of a shipwreck in the Mediterranean which claimed the lives of over 400 people.

Two migrants examine a map while they wait to resume their journey.

The camp’s media centre, where activists and migrants organize their activities and stay in touch with their relatives and friends.

Idris (20), from Ethiopia, poses for a portrait. He wants to reach the UK. In Libya, he paid a man for the boat trip but it was a scam, so he was forced to work 4 months in Libya to pay for the boat trip again. After landing in Sicily and crossing Italy, he was stopped by the police in Menton and deported to Ventimiglia.

The self-organised community at the camp also seeks to provide migrants with basic information.

Four activists teach French language to a group of migrants as part of the daily activities at the camp.

Mohamed (20), from Sudan, poses in front of a banner that reads: “We are not going back because we lost everything. We are not for trade, we are human beings.”

Daily life at the camp. The migrants stranded there for days, weeks or even months wait for the right moment to try to cross the border again. Many take the risk of walking at night along the railway, others decide to rely on the ‘passeurs’ (smugglers) mafia.

Migrants and other swimmers at Balzi Rossi, the bathing area closest to the border.

Evening prayer during the month of Ramadan, a few metres from the border; the imam comes here from France to bring food and comfort to the migrants.

One of the migrants stranded in Ventimiglia contemplates the sea at sunset.

French-Italian border, July the 14th 2015. Some of the migrants stranded in Italian territory observe the fireworks fired over the border, in France, on the occasion of the national day celebrating ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood.