Over 170 sites of ancient, modern and contemporary architecture and 60 special events: on 7 and 8 May 2016, for the fifth edition, Open House Roma returns, the event that every year, in just one weekend and completely free, opens the doors of the most representative architecture of the Capital.
Organized by the Open City Rome Association, the 2016 edition will be a special edition, in terms of communication and program structure; with more than 50% of new sites to visit, this year too there will be private houses with interior design projects, architecture studios, construction sites and many collateral events. The program, divided into "thematic areas" for the first time, will help visitors to orient themselves in the rich program.
It starts from the "City of Knowledge", the places where research and culture are preserved and promoted such as the futuristic headquarters of the Italian Space Agency designed by the 5+1AA studio, the headquarters of the Gimema Onlus Foundation in the former Pantanella pasta factory or the beautiful Biblioteca dell'Accademia dei Lincei and Biblioteca Hertziana. The themes "Living" and "Architecture of everyday life" will lead you to discover the places where the city lives: you can visit over 20 private houses, residential buildings, work spaces, places of worship, and construction sites such as the BNL BNP group headquarters Paribas which, together with the Tiburtina station and the Residenze Città del Sole, will contribute to the redevelopment of one of the "gates" of the city.
To narrate all-Roman initiative, the theme "Factory and Creative Production" will take you around the creative and productive districts, often the result of a reconversion project; from Pietralata to Mandrione, from Portuense to Ostiense, from San Lorenzo to Pigneto and Primavalle.
On the other hand, those wishing to take a journey through the many stratifications that are hidden in the millenary history of Rome, "Cross the story" will lead you to the discovery of over 40 historical places; from the subsoil of Hadrian's Auditoria, to that of the air-raid shelter hidden in the foundations of the Palazzo Uffici at Eur, to re-emerge in the wonder of the Antica Insula Domenicana, a jewel in the heart of Rome which contains the Library of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate of the Repubblica, the Casanatense Library and the Dominican Convent of the Minerva.
Also not to be missed are the opening of three extraordinary sites: the Snail of Villa Medici, the Trevi Fountain and the Acqua Paola Fountain, whose secret places we will discover, thanks to the collaboration of ACEA, one of the official partners of Open House Roma, as well as Stress Scarl, a consortium of companies, research institutions and universities active in the search for innovative solutions for more sustainable construction.
Finally, the thematic areas "Fashion spaces", in collaboration with Alta Roma, and "Bed&Food" will take you inside the laboratories and fashion schools and in the most unique restaurants and hotels.
For any information, go to the website www.openhouseroma.org and follow the simple instructions that will allow you to participate in the event for free and to book, only starting from 28 April, the few sites that do not have free access.
The event is sponsored by the Senate of the Republic, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and supported by MiBACT-General Directorate for Contemporary Art and Architecture and Urban Peripheries, Rome Capital and the Order of Architects, Landscape Planners and Conservatories of Rome and Province.
Open House involves more than 30 cities around the world, including Open House Milan for the first time in Italy, which opens on 7 and 8 May at the same time as the Rome edition.
Open House Rome is made possible thanks to the work that the Open City Rome Association has been carrying out since 2012, together with its partners and more than 700 volunteers including students, professors, architects and simple enthusiasts, who every year ensure that the treasures of the Capital can once again be revealed free of charge to all enthusiasts
