Italian photographer Matteo Bastianelli started a project to reveal the poetry of the infamous slums in which he called "Suppressed Favelas." Though he's already half done with what he's doing, he'll continue to work on the project when he'd return by 2016.

Despite the hardships and suppression that the area is facing, he told CNN that the favelas are flocked with beautiful poetry and beautiful stories.

"There is poetry to some of these places and images, the most symbolic photograph for me was the one of the boy who climbed up on the lamppost because his kite got caught. ... Kites are playful; they are meant to soar in the air. This one was tangled, much like the favela's residents continue to be in Rio's ongoing 'war on drugs' between the police and the gangs."

In addition to what he told CNN he also stated that he first came up with the project after taking a stroll in the neighborhood. He first found out about the area after seeing it on films and other documentaries from where he got his inspiration.

"It was my first time in Rio (and Brazil) and I was attending the screening of one of my documentary films that was in competition at a local film festival, I had heard a lot of stories about the favelas through television and the news. I'm a very curious person, so I decided to take a look for myself."

Though he was able to openly take photographs of almost everything and everybody around him, there are some people that refused to be photographed. Though it was uncertain if they did belong to a certain gang, he could feel their presence lurking within the area.

Bastianelli then told CNN that it is important to again the trust of the residents and the police as well. For him to successfully do his job in documenting the people around him, he makes it a point to interact with the locals to him to be able to get a personal relationship with his subject.

"It was surprising to be accepted so quickly by the people I was photographing. I don't usually use zoom. I was working with a very small, fixed-lens camera that required them to see me right in front of them, human relationships are the most important part of my pictures. It has to be personal."

His latest multimedia entry is entitled "Souls of Syrians."