Chronicle of an Urban Survey: a Cultural Renaissance in Rome’s Pietralata District
Rome, 30.04.2012 – In the outskirts of Rome, where former industrial sites meet dense residential blocks and the Aniene Valley nature reserve, the Montez group launched an ambitious community-driven urban exploration process. Beginning on April 30, 2012, under the artistic direction of Gio Montez and the urban planning guidance of Architect Francesco Perri, the team set out to rethink the role of Pietralata within the cultural life of the city.
Their mission: to understand the territory’s hidden potential and lay the groundwork for what would become the Valle dell’Aniene Cultural District.
Meetings, Working Tables, and Mapping the Territory
Over the next two years, Montez facilitated meetings, round tables, and open discussions with neighborhood committees, local associations, and public institutions. These encounters generated a living map of community needs, aspirations, and challenges.
The survey work also examined key planning tools—SDO, PRINT, SmartMED, among others—and considered the regulatory changes brought by Italy’s sixty-first technical government led by Prime Minister Mario Monti, particularly those affecting building usability and redevelopment opportunities.
prospection s. f. [from the Eng. prospection, der. of the Latin prospicĕre «to look ahead»; cf. Late Latin prospectio -onis «foresight; concern, care»].
1. Exploration of the subsoil: e.g. geological, that carried out through the geological reconnaissance of the terrain, without resorting to the aid of special equipment; e.g. geophysical, that carried out through surface measurements of geophysical quantities (e.g. electrical resistivity) dependent on the physical characteristics of the underlying rocks, even at considerable depths; e.g. geomining, that carried out for mining purposes. For the prospecting of the subsoil for archaeological reconnaissance purposes, see exploration.
2. By extension, the graph, the diagram that represents the result of certain prospectings.
3. In statistics, the prediction of the final results of an electoral consultation based on electronic processing and the projection of partial results.
*Enciclopedia Treccani
Investigations on the Complex at Via di Pietralata 147/A
Alongside community meetings, geological, archaeological, and urban studies were conducted on the area of Via di Pietralata 147/A, an abandoned urban wreck that had long awaited transformation despite its great potential.
Parallel to community dialogues, the team conducted geological, archaeological, and urban investigations on the abandoned site at Via di Pietralata 147/A. Once an industrial relict, the area had fallen into disuse but retained significant potential for transformation.
A significant part of Montez’s research focused on this site, with the aim of assessing how to restore operational capacity and cultural functions to a complex real estate located in a mixed-use zone, suspended between an industrial past and the outreach of an environmental sustainability for the resettlement.
From Research to Action
The survey phase represented the essential preliminary step before technical design. By the summer of 2014, the extensive survey phase had provided the insights needed to begin concrete redevelopment. Under the direction of Architect Francesco Perri, the regeneration works redefined the property’s structural, productive, and cultural functions.
What had long been an abandoned lot began its metamorphosis into a space designed for art, community gatherings, and creative production.
The Rebirth of Atelier Montez
The site was finally returned to the city on November 12, 2015, with the reopening of Atelier Montez—a nonprofit cultural institution recognised for its public value. Today, it stands as one of the key landmarks of the new Valle dell’Aniene Cultural District, offering residencies, exhibitions, and community-driven initiatives.
A Cultural Identity Built with the Community: the Aniene Valley Cultural District
The site was returned to the city on November 12, 2015 with the reopening of Atelier Montez, a nonprofit organization that promotes institutional activities of recognized public interest. Today, it stands as one of the most active reference points of the Valle dell’Aniene Cultural District.