A new Rome: the Jubilee has transformed the city with 9 keyworks

The project for the pedestrianisation of Piazza Pia is set in one of the most historically significant areas of the Rome between Castel Sant'Angelo and St. Peter's Basilica.  The new arrangement of the square and adjacent areas is a consequence of the extension of the existing road tunnel of Lungotevere in Sassia up to the arches of the “Passetto” of Borgo, thanks to which it is possible to pedestrianise the existing traffic light intersection at the entrance of Via della Conciliazione and to strengthen the Castel Sant'Angelo/St. Peter's pedestrian axis. The intervention concerned the improvement of the connection between the central pedestrian area and the Lungotevere, through the realisation of a greened strip, the strengthening of the perspective and fruitive connections between the square and the gardens of the Bastions of Castel Sant'Angelo, the redevelopment of the area in front of the church of Santa Maria Annunziata in Borgo, through the realisation of a new stairway. In the centre of the square, two fountains flank the main pedestrian axis.

The project for the area between Via Luigi Einaudi and the gardens of the same name, Via delle Terme di Diocleziano, Piazza della Repubblica up to Via Parigi (including Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Via Romita and Via Cernaia) aims to improve the fruition of the public space and enhance its importance in historical and cultural terms, through two complementary lines of action: on the one hand, restorative works aimed at improving the physical characteristics of the urban space through an overall revision of the materials and elements that configure it (pavements, landscaping, public lighting and street furniture); on the other hand, a series of actions to reconfigure the public space under the general criterion of increasing pedestrian space through a redefinition of the circulation patterns.

The project prefigures an identity place that maintains a strong connection with the character of the historical context and that welcomes visitors both daily and for extraordinary events. The new square is articulated in a sequence of open-air spaces, defined by the reinterpretation of the Cosmatesque pattern that characterises the Basilica's interior floor. The geometric motifs, reproduced and enlarged, symbolically emerge from the sacred perimeter to become a unifying element of the square, with the function of organising its different functions (stopping, passing through, socialising). The paving uses traditional Roman materials – such as sanpietrini, travertine and basalt – that dialogue with the integrated vegetation, the water plays and the lighting.

A visual backdrop to the main urban axes of Via Cola Di Rienzo, Crescenzio, Porcari, and a foretaste of the nearby Piazza San Pietro, Piazza Risorgimento is a breathing space between the large pedestrian flows of Via Ottaviano and Via di Porta Angelica. The intervention area, covering an area of 18,000 square metres at proximity to the Vatican, is reimagined by the project as multiple places at the same time: a garden, a square, an urban ecosystem capable of triggering new environmental, social and perceptive relations with the context, punctuated by new trees and urban macro-objects. The square will temporarily host In Orbita, one of the projects realised for the 2024 edition of the Rome Architecture Festival by OUT Architecture: an installation by Devoto Design conceived as a platform for sharing.

The design for Via Ottaviano provides a predominantly pedestrian urban space, in promiscuity with the public tram circulation. The continuous profile of the road surface, without elevation changes, enhances accessibility and transforms the former anonymous space into a fluid linear square. Punctual inserts in the pavement accommodate new trees, seating and resting places, forming natural islands, spaces for sociality and environmental regeneration.

The project turns the square in front of Termini Station from a shapeless road widening difficult to cross (and a more or less unauthorised car park) into a public garden-square that stitches together the surrounding buildings from different eras. The reorganisation of flows and the redevelopment of the space are intended to bring the square back to the city, enhancing pedestrian accessibility and improving mobility.

The small pavilion for the new Vatican mobile post office takes up the challenge of installing a public service architecture in one of the most outstanding squares in the world. The work with a polygonal layout and sixteen segmented sides is realised with a prefabricated system to guarantee construction speed and controlled installation quality and is designed to respectfully yet clearly integrate into the context, thanks to the use of noble and ancient materials (wood, bronze and glass). The interior houses the philately and post office, fulfilling the dual function of display and service. Movable partitions made of vertical wooden slats allow the flexible configuration of spaces, enhanced by furnishings designed by Amdl Circle to define the visual identity of all Poste Italiane Post Offices.

The historic green area in the Ostiense district is a triangular space overlooking the Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, one of the capital's four Jubilee basilicas. LAND's intervention resumes and further develops its redesign started on the 2000 Jubilee, focusing on the pedestrianisation, the enlargement of the green spaces, the reorganisation of the accesses and the relationship of the basilica with its environment. The project includes the use of environmentally friendly solutions: draining materials to improve the microclimate and promote climate resilience, an inclusive design to ensure easy access to nature, and widespread maintenance works, including the restoration and cleaning of the existing white Roman travertine and grit paving. 

The area of the Tor Vergata Sports City, abandoned for almost 14 years and surmounted by Santiago Calatrava's famous 75-metre-high Vela (the largest unfinished work in Italy), is to be redeveloped for the Jubilee of Youth thanks to the works promoted by the Agenzia del Demanio. The project envisages, in place of the unfinished Palasport, a large Arena to accommodate approximately 8,000 people, which will be used for the concluding event of the Holy Year celebration. Once the Jubilee is over, the space will be used for the educational needs of the University of Tor Vergata, while the space below the Vela will be the object of a reforestation and sustainable urban regeneration project focusing on wellness, research and training.