In the early 80s, in my small hometown in southern Italy, I photographed the slaughter of a pig. This was a ‘family’ pig, bred by the same people who were slaughtering it and who gave me permission to take these photos. The whole family was involved. The job had to be quick and finished within the day. Afterwards all the cuts of meat were stored in special rooms to be dried. They would be consumed the following year. I have not published this set of photos before. I do believe however that they have a certain cultural value, especially since this tradition has been lost forever to more modern techniques. The original pictures were shot on film and slides, which I have recently scanned to make available in digital format. I would be grateful for your comments, feedback and suggestions that could help me improve as a photographer.