In a rare and unlikely tourist agenda, Italian photographer Matteo Bastianelli observed and discovered the true meaning of Rio de Janeiro's pacification. According to CNN, Bastianelli came to discover Rio's favelas, or what most people consider as the slums.

Here, Rio's pacification takes a turning point because of the extent of crimes committed and the importance of its very presence in the community. Pacification is the presence of a state security program, especially in the favelas or slum areas of Puerto Rico.

The pacification aims to control crimes committed by drug gangs and its main purpose is to install police presence in places where it most happens.

According to Bastianelli, the pacification has received several comments. Some said that it was the initial solution in terms of lessening crime rate. Others initially consider it as a temporary solution to the growing crime rate in the favelas, which also brought a strain between the people of the community and the officers securing the areas.

Despite such observations, Bastianelli relied on befriending the people within the community as well as the police officers in order to roam the place.

Under their protection, Bastianelli was able to freely interact and photograph people within the areas he was able to reach. He said, "It was surprising to be accepted so quickly by the people I was photographing." However, there was one occasion where he was confronted and told to stop taking pictures.

The inequality that he saw and reflected during his time in the favelas helped him compare their situation to that of Rome. He also added, "More importantly, I started to see myself in the faces of the people who were just living their daily lives inside the favela."

Rio de Janeiro's pacification is composed of the "The Pacifying Police Unit" or the "Unidade de Policia Pacificadora" (UPP). According to UPP Rio de Janeiro, each unit that comprises the pacification project has its own headquarters and a commanding officer to look after the unit. The pacification project covers communities that are recognized by the law and needs the protection of police officers.

"In order to coordinate their operations all UPPs are under the command of the Pacifying Police Coordination (PPC), a coordinating body currently headed by Colonel Frederico Caldas. Each UPP is administratively bounded to a Military Police Battalion."

Bastianelli described the slums as a sort of poetry, with the people of Rio trying to live their lives among the conflict between the police and gangs.