On Sunday 8 December, on the occasion of the third edition of the Consortium Meeting of Open Heritage, participants were offered the opportunity to participate in a guided tour to learn about the beauty of Centocelle Park and the cultural district of South-East Rome.
The participants were taken, thanks to shuttle buses, from the meeting point to Termini Station to the entrance of the Park, where CooperACTiva members had the opportunity to organize a small introduction lesson to the historical and cultural peculiarities of the district.
At the end of the. lesson there was the actual tour: the participants, equipped with bicycles, left to discover the area.
At first of the tour, the company cycled through the paths of the park of Centocelle, where they were able to visit the most important points of interest. The first stop was the Roman Villa called “Della Piscina”: the site is currently at the center of a large project of security and musealization that will make the attraction accessible to the public.
Later, the visit moved to the airstrip of what was the first airport in Italy, as well as the place where the Wright brothers conducted the first flight in the history of Italy in 1909.
The guides then took the company outside the current area of the Park to the old farmhouse dating back to Roman times known as “Osteria di Centocelle”, for the use that was given in more recent times. Despite ignoring the original function that the structure – equipped with a rather complex plan – you can immediately the excellent state of preservation of the building, which makes it a point of considerable interest for the area.
The visit then moved to the neighboring area of Torre Spaccata, in whose North-West area is the Tower of San Giovanni: a monument at the time of the Roman countryside during the Middle Ages, remained in excellent condition until today, despite the abandonment and disinterest. Near this place, behind the Rugantino bookshop, is the garden adopted by the community.
We are located in the center of the VI City Hall; next to the “Pratone” of Torre Spaccata, an ecological corridor that extends for several kilometers within the neighborhood. The Pratone, in addition to preserving an important ecological value, contains important evidence of Roman times such as villas and artifacts.
The tour ended, and the participants moved to Fusolab 2.0 in the Alessandrino district to attend the main event.