Roma tra archeologia e natura. Rigenerare il patrimonio attraverso l’allestimento dello spazio pubblico.

Over the last two centuries, Rome’s territory has assumed a model of discontinuous expansion, which incorporates large natural areas into the urban fabric. The city is one of the largest metropolises in Europe but with a low population density thanks to the extension of its green areas. Today, the balance between built-up space and natural sites in the central area remains more or less unchanged since the early decades of the 19th century, when a significant system of urban public gardens was established. At the same time, the constructed part of the centre stands in the consolidated tradition of stratification. This characteristic has led towards the homogeneous presence of archaeological ruins, in many cases preserved thanks to processes of re-functionalization. Since the classical age and continuing with the pontifical period, nature has been an important instrument for the configuration of Rome’s open space. Subsequently, with the transformations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, vegetation entered into a very close relationship with the classical monuments. Considering these two aspects, therefore, the landscape project represents an extraordinary opportunity to organize the complexity of contemporaneity while reducing the distance between the city and archeology. Thus, if we consider the purpose of defining an environmental infrastructural frame that is useful also for the fruition of the historical heritage, the reorganization of the natural context appears as an effective tool as much as it is rooted in the Roman tradition. Vegetation has played a central role in changing the image of Rome while ensuring the preservation of the ruins. This has brought about significant expressive achievements, especially in the last two centuries when Rome reached its final stage. These achievements finally influenced the figurative tradition in the composition of space as much so that we can trace some signs of it up to contemporary architecture in the archaeological environment.