{"id":14795,"date":"2018-04-18T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dovevado.net\/forte-prenestino-street-art-e-musica-underground-nel-cuore-di-roma\/"},"modified":"2020-09-10T11:53:02","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T09:53:02","slug":"forte-prenestino-street-art-e-musica-underground-nel-cuore-di-roma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dovevado.net\/en\/forte-prenestino-street-art-e-musica-underground-nel-cuore-di-roma\/","title":{"rendered":"Forte Prenestino Street art underground music in the heart of Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A magical place, out of time. I can’t think of Rome without thinking of Forte Prenestino. At the centre of Centocelle<\/span>, in the south-east suburbs of Rome, a social centre, a park and a series of underground passages from which drawings, music, thoughts, parties are born. A meander of tunnels and open spaces that at night comes alive with people of all kinds, and during the day hosts social activities from language courses for foreigners to after-school classes for the kids of the neighbourhood, from theatrical experimentations to archery.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Even the last time I passed through Rome, on the occasion of my 40th birthday, I stopped by the Fortress. The Fortress, as everyone in Rome calls the Forte Prenestino<\/strong>. Although there would be 15 similar fortresses scattered around the capital: military fortresses<\/span> built in the second half of the eighteenth century by King Umberto I of Savoy to have a defensive system for Rome. In reality, all the structures built were abandoned almost immediately (the one on the Prenestina served as an ammunition depot for a couple of years) and fell into decay. One of the few that has resisted is precisely the Prenestino, and the reason why is all in its history.<\/p>\n\n

The entrance of Forte Prenestino<\/h3>\n\n

But let’s go to order.The main entrance of the \nfortress is in Federico Delpino street<\/a>, in the district Centocelle<\/span> (the one told by Pasolini<\/strong> in his books and movies, but we will come back to this one). You enter through a park, an urban green space with an incorporated elderly centre. The entrance is the original one: we pass over a bridge to cross the moat and enter the bastion that looks like a sort of Prussian-style castle.<\/p>\n\n

\"Forte<\/a>
Forte Prenestino entrance tunnel<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Once inside you realize that it is not a place like any other. Murales<\/strong> and decorations surround all the entrance tunnels. You are fascinated to observe them all, moving from one open space to another. There are two enormous open spaces on either side of the tunnels. In both, in the evening, social activities take place such as concerts<\/strong> or fests<\/strong>. In the tunnels instead there is the everyday life of Forte Prenestino.<\/p>\n\n

The History<\/h2>\n\n

In order to understand the \nfortress it is necessary to understand its history. In 1976 the area passed from the Ministry of Finance to the Municipality of Rome. But it remains in a state of degradation and abandonment. The first occupation took place in 1977, but lasted only a few months. History has it that on the 1st May 1986<\/strong>, on the occasion of the Labor Day<\/strong>, organized for some years now in the public park next to the Fortress, some young people from the Prenestino-Centocelle district occupied the Forte Prenestino <\/strong>, a structure of about 13 hectares, composed of many rooms and large green spaces.<\/p>\n\n

The children inside clean up the large waste dump that the Fortress had become over the years, carry out renovation work and the structure becomes socially liveable. In fact, the occupation – which has continued uninterrupted since 1986 – has made it the only one of the \nfortresses of Rome<\/span> that has been re-functionalised and made available to the citizens. A nice article by Repubblica recounts its salient passages<\/a>. From then until today, everything is based on self-financing and theme nights to be subscribed. At this link<\/a> you can find more details on the history of the Fortress before the occupation.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Art and Music<\/h2>\n\n

The art at Csoa Forte Prenestino (an occupied and self-managed social centre) can only be breathed in by entering. The walls are full of high quality murals that give a unique look to the interior. Murals that over the years have replaced the previous ones, giving an ever new picture to visitors’ eyes.<\/p>\n\n