From 9 to 11 May 2025, the public will be able to access the former ATAC depot in Via della Lega Lombarda to discover the work in progress on the future Città del Sole Civic Library. The initiative, promoted by Rome’s Municipality II in collaboration with the contractor C.C.C. Costruzioni Civili Cerasi and the design studio Labics, aims to bring the community closer to the construction site to illustrate the progress of the work, present the new functions and spaces of the emerging library hub, and enhance the restoration through art, culture and participation.
Thanks to the involvement of the Gianfranco Dioguardi Foundation, Dioguardi Lab and the Cantiere-evento programme, the construction site becomes a cultural experience that is accessible and free of charge. During the three days, in addition to guided tours, visitors will be able to see: the light installation Pulse by Cristian Rizzuti, created using one hundred red flashing lights produced by the historic company SISAS; a reading performance, created in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, dedicated to the world of books and libraries; the installation of a banner at the entrance to the construction site, featuring the quote ‘It’s very simple: it’s about reading together’ by Emma Castelnuovo from the book ‘The Way of Mathematics’.
The title chosen for this initiative, ‘Posa del primo libro’ (Laying the first book), is an invitation to citizens to bring a book with them to symbolically leave at the future library, thus contributing to its foundation. The book should be one that holds memories of the first book they read or the first book that shaped them. The initiative is also part of the ‘Festa della Lettura’ (Reading Festival) promoted annually by Rome’s Municipality II. The opening programme for the construction site also involves pupils from the nearby Fratelli Bandiera school who, after taking part in a classroom workshop aimed at producing a small book, will read it on site in the presence of their parents.
The initiative – curated by Francesco Maggiore and coordinated by Giorgia De Giorgi, Carlo Picerno and Michela Rondinone – is a tribute to the library as a place of encounter, memory and social innovation. The events, which are free to attend, aim to combine art, culture and participation, creating opportunities for discussion and reflection on the ongoing restoration project, which will soon see the opening of a new and strategic cultural centre in the area.
The construction site will interact with the urban context through an installation designed for the flagpoles at the entrance, where a construction site net will be stretched out and used as an analogue display: phrases, quotes and messages, created with specially designed lettering, will animate the surface. A tribute will be dedicated to Emma Castelnuovo (1913-2014) and Lucio Lombardo Radice (1916-1982), pioneers in the popularisation of mathematics and innovators in teaching. A further tribute will also be paid to the educationalist Alberto Manzi — a teacher at the nearby ‘Fratelli Bandiera’ school — and his television programme Non è mai troppo tardi (It’s Never Too Late). Finally, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Pier Paolo Pasolini, an exhibition dedicated to his work will be held.
The space will be enhanced by an installation by Cristian Rizzuti entitled Pulse: a work of lights distributed throughout the former ATAC industrial space. In this phase of transformation, to highlight the presence of the work in progress, Pulse comes to life through the random pulsing of one hundred red flashing lights produced by SISAS, a leading company in signalling and safety systems since 1980: elements created to signal danger, caution and obstacles are thus transformed into an unprecedented light installation. The public, invited to explore the space by moving around and inside the work, is accompanied by a soundtrack specially composed by Julian Álvarez Chaia. Some lights flash in unison, suggesting a fragile order; others are left to chance. Their distribution offers a glimpse of the profile of the structure to come, outlined by the contents that will inhabit it and by the pulsing of activities that will build new relationships to intertwine in the social and cultural fabric. Some of these lights, hacked by the artist using Arduino electronic boards, light up with their own Morse code to transmit excerpts from texts selected during the performance.
On the occasion of the inauguration, Cristian Rizzuti’s work becomes the setting for a site-specific performance created in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome to highlight the ephemeral beauty and evolving character of the place. Inside the construction site, the group of students from the Academy will stage a reading, interacting with the installation Pulse and with the audience, accompanied by Álvarez’s soundscape. Each performer will wear personal protective equipment as stage costumes and read texts dedicated to the theme of books and libraries by well-known authors, including: W. Benjamin, J.L. Borges, R. Bradbury, I. Calvino, L. Canfora, G. Dioguardi, U. Eco and D. Pennac. The event, which is completely free and accessible, invites the community to experience the transformation taking place, interpreting the construction site as a place of inclusion, memory and cultural participation.
The programme of guided tours of the site also involves schools, universities and associations, with the aim of promoting shared experiences and awareness of heritage restoration. The visits will offer students, teachers and professionals first-hand experiences with technical insights and meetings with designers, administrators and contractors. In particular, pupils from the nearby Fratelli Bandiera school will be involved. After taking part in an educational workshop led by Giorgia De Giorgi and Michela Rondinone aimed at producing a small book, they will read it on site in the presence of their parents. In addition, on the morning of Sunday 11 May, architects Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori from Studio Labics will lead tours of the site, showing visitors the library design.
The construction site will be opened to the public again thanks to Open House Roma, an annual event dedicated to discovering the city’s architectural heritage, which will take place from 24 May to 1 June 2025: buildings normally closed to the public – from historic palaces to contemporary architecture – will open their doors for free guided tours, accompanied by talks and urban walks, promoting the culture of architecture and urban planning. The opening of the Library construction site is scheduled for 24 May.
‘As a municipality, we try to integrate cultural initiatives with widespread associations, schools, the most open and sensitive entrepreneurship, and the major cultural institutions present in our territory,’ say Francesca Del Bello and Fabrizio Rufo, respectively President and Councillor for Culture and Universities of Municipality II. They conclude: ‘It is a complex task, but we are extremely satisfied with the progress made and the results achieved in recent years, and it is in this spirit that the “Posa del primo libro” initiative has been developed, thanks to the collaboration with the Dioguardi Foundation and CCC Costruzioni Civili Cerasi.’
(from the press release)
Cantiere Evento. Biblioteca Civica di Città del Sole.
Friday, 9 May: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with opening and performance at 7:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 10 May: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with performance at 8:00 p.m.;
Sunday, 11 May: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 24 May (Open House Rome): 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with reservations on the website www.openhouseroma.org
Info and reservations: Fondazione Gianfranco Dioguardi: press@fondazionedioguardi.it
The new library: The construction of the new library, designed by Studio Labics and carried out by C.C.C. Costruzioni Civili Cerasi SpA, has two main objectives: on the one hand, to respect the identity of the original building, i.e. its spatial structure, and on the other, to create a place that is open to the city and the community. The new project, whose construction is being supervised by architect Massimiliano Fusco, follows and respects the original structure: the central part will become an area dedicated to the free use of the library, an open and accessible urban gallery that connects the city while also becoming a place for people to meet and socialise. On either side of this large central space, there will be two multi-purpose rooms for events and exhibitions. On the first floor, thanks to the space created by two suspended bridges, there will be more private areas dedicated to reading and study, as well as rooms for children and teenagers.
C.C.C. Costruzioni Civili Cerasi S.p.A., founded in Rome in 1951, is a historic construction company with over 70 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, distinguished by its ability to tackle complex projects and its attention to detail. The owners are directly involved in the management processes, from design to direct site management, ensuring a high level of attention and quality at every stage of the work. The company stands out for its use of cutting-edge technology and its ability to carry out a wide range of works, including residential, commercial, industrial, military, ecclesiastical, educational and healthcare buildings. Its main projects include work for institutions such as the Guardia di Finanza (Villa Spada Logistics Centre, Rome), the Ministry of Infrastructure (facility for the State Police – Nettuno), Alenia Aeronautica (industrial complex – Grosseto), the Ministry of Defence (CINCNAV multi-purpose building – Rome La Storta), post-earthquake reconstruction work in L’Aquila and redevelopment of the former Geological Institute in L.go S. Susanna and the current Teatro Valle construction site in Rome.
Private initiatives include non-residential properties, such as the offices of Terna S.p.A. in Rome, Viale E. Galbani, and AICS in Rome, Via Cantalupo in Sabina, with the installation of cutting-edge systems that use renewable energy sources.
Labics is an architecture and urban planning studio founded in Rome in 2002 by Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori. The name Labics expresses the idea of a laboratory, a fertile ground where ideas circulate. Combining theoretical research and applied experimentation, the studio’s field of interest ranges from urban design to interior design, thus spanning the different scales and complexities of the project. Its main projects include the MAST Foundation in Bologna, the Città del Sole multifunctional complex in Rome, Piazza Fontana in Rozzano, the Jacaranda nursery school in Milan, the restoration of the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara and the Cu.Bo university building on the Campus Bio-Medico in Rome. Among the projects currently underway, it is worth mentioning the winning project for the New Archaeological Walkway, the redevelopment of the Central Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the Città del Sole Library and, finally, the restoration and reuse of one of the lots of the Crypta Balbi. Labics has exhibited its work in various solo and group exhibitions, including the 11th, 12th and 14th Venice Architecture Biennale.
Cristian Rizzuti is a multimedia artist with a degree in Visual and Multimedia Arts from the IUAV University of Venice, where he obtained a master’s degree with a focus on interactive immersive environments. His artistic research is strongly influenced by science and mathematics, focusing on human perception and synaesthetic spaces. He has presented his work at important European events and institutions, including the ZKM Museum in Karlsruhe, the MAXXI in Rome and the Venice Biennale. In addition to his artistic practice, Rizzuti teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and Bari, the IAAC and LCI in Barcelona, where he teaches interactive media and research in the field of digital arts.
The Gianfranco Dioguardi Foundation was established as a non-profit organisation by Gianfranco Dioguardi in 1991 to honour the memory of his parents Maria Blasutigh and Saverio Dioguardi. In 1993, it was recognised as a moral entity by decree of the Ministry of the Interior. Through its library, open to the public at the Polytechnic University of Bari with a collection of over 40,000 volumes, it has established a fruitful collaboration between the academic world and civil society, supporting activities for the promotion and dissemination of knowledge. The Foundation has identified the books in its library as the reference value of its mission: in line with its book collection, it pursues a multidisciplinary, encyclopaedic and interdisciplinary vision of knowledge.
The ‘Cantiere-evento’ (Event Construction Site) is a project conceived by Gianfranco Dioguardi in the 1990s and promoted today by his Foundation. It transforms urban construction sites into temporary public spaces for participation, culture and education, involving citizens through free events such as exhibitions, concerts and workshops. Without interfering with the work, these activities enhance the aesthetics of the construction site, strengthen the social fabric and generate positive effects on the local area. In 2023, the project received the ‘Bruno Zevi’ Award for the dissemination of architectural culture.
Open House Roma was born from the idea of a group of architects and communicators focused on socio-cultural innovation. It is an annual event that celebrates design and architecture in the capital over nine days. Around 200 sites from all eras, which are usually inaccessible, are opened to the public through free guided tours.
