From the parking lot of a pink-walled Italian resort, the hazy outline of French coastal town Menton can be seen across the bay. The resort sits on the rocky shore of Italy’s Ponte San Ludovico, some two hundred meters from the border with France, which for much of the summer was home to a unique refugee camp cohabited by both migrants and European activists.

France quietly closed its border on June 8 to the stream of North African and Middle Eastern migrants traveling through Italy. A few days later, more than one hundred displaced and restless migrants gathered in Ventimiglia and, warding off an eviction attempt by Italian police, successfully established a makeshift encampment on the rocks.

Their resistance caught the attention of young Italian and French activists, who joined them in a show of solidarity. The community that blossomed as a result took the form of a permanent camp and politically charged stronghold of anti-borders sentiment that broke from the typical hierarchy of state-sponsored camps. Within a framework of self-management and collective decision-making, camp residents built a diverse community where all were welcome.