Roma capitale supera le antiche mura. Il circuito murario e lo sviluppo urbano

In the same year in wich Rome became the capital of Italy, the walls were used for the last time. The loss of the original function of the city walls marked the beginning of a slow decline, that caused material decay, and above all, the loss of meaning. For the great majority of Romans, with few but important exceptions, they simply became a hindrance to the development and the growth of the city. The events that “overwelmed” Rome since 1870 have been the subject of various studies, and the phenomena have been analysed in numerous ways, by architects, urban planner, archaeologists, economists, and sociologist. There is a rich bibliography on “Rome the capital”, but the debate about the role of the ancient city walls in the development of the town is less well known and studied. The destruction of some important parts of the city walls was the outcome of the construction of some sites outside and immediately adjacent to the fortifications. As a result of the pressure of a growing population, the debate arose about the need to demolish more parts of the ancient structure to improve mobility in the area. The controversy on the destiny of the walls is only a part of the national and international debate concerning the conservation and the growth of Rome after 1870.