A visitor defines it as «the youngest monument in Rome. A child says it is “almost as beautiful as the Colosseum”. On Sunday the industrial complex of via Ostiense it opened to the city, at the start «Open gasometer» the initiative promoted by Eni, in collaboration with the FAI (Italian Environment Fund), to show the site to the public.
They will be five The Sunday appointments from June to November for visit what will become «a true scientific park dedicated to experimentation, but also to cultural events», explains Mattia Voltaggio, Head of Joule-Eni School for Business.
The largest gasometer in Europe
The place is fascinating, over 12 hectares which are now part of the history and archeology of Rome. There are four gasometers that have supplied gas, transformed from coal since the early 1900s, to the Capital. Until the advent of methane around the 1960s, which progressively closed the season
industrial center of the Ostiense area, which first became an industrial archeology plant in decline, almost abandoned while it is now preparing for its new life as a science park.
Gas storage
The former Officina San Paolo (original name of the Gazometro Ostiense area) used in the early twentieth century for the production and storage of gas for the lighting of Rome will be a hub of sustainable technological innovation
It was the mayor Ernesto Nathan who had the first of the four cylinders built in 1909 together with the future headquarters of the Romana Gas company. The imposing metal structure was assembled by the Genoese company Ansaldo, next to the main cylinder three others were built, which seen from the terrace of G1, the smallest, draw a metal road in the sky.
The transformation into a cultural hub
The visit starts from the large Gazometer, the most impressive of the four cylinders that transported gas. The G4 is the largest in Europe: 90 meters high, 65 cubic meters in circumference, a vision that leaves you breathless, because you have to get close to see the grandeur of the structure. G4 has not supplied gas to the capital for some time, but will remain central to city life. it will become a cultural center with an amphitheater inside. Maneskin played above last summer.
Collaboration with FAI
«The collaboration with Fai – explains Mattia Voltaggio – is a first step towards opening up an area that is integrating into one of the most dynamic urban fabrics of the capital. The ongoing redevelopment of the industrial complex and its new vocation as an innovation district also effectively illustrates the energy transition path undertaken by Eni, which combines strong technological capabilities with great attention to the social dimension”.
The «Art at the Gasometer» exhibition
In addition to the opening days, the site will also be visitable during major events such as Videocittà – the Festival of Vision (from 5 to 7 July) and Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition (from 25 to 27 October).
The «Open gasometer» initiative will extend throughout 2024. During the free guided tours, not only will the history of the area and the functioning of the plant in the last century be retraced, but the environmental redevelopment project carried out by Eni and the experimental activities launched in the scientific, social and cultural, such as the recent collaboration with Spazio Taverna which led to the creation of the «Contemporary Energies» exhibition, the first exhibition of 17 young emerging artists as part of the «Arte al Gazometro» exhibition. Review is housed inside G1, the smaller gasometer.
