Book on Renato Nicolini's 'Estate Romana' Revives 1970s-80s Urban Art Experiment

A new book by Federica Fava, 'Estate romana. Tempi e pratiche della città effimera' (Quodlibet Studio), chronicles the nine-year cultural program 'Estate Romana' led by Renato Nicolini, Rome's young culture councillor under mayors Giulio Carlo Argan and Luigi Petroselli from 1977 to 1985. The book features interviews with protagonists and iconographic materials including photographs, plans, drawings, posters, and newspaper clippings. It recounts events such as the 'Cinema epico' series at the Basilica of Maxentius, which transformed an elite concert venue into a popular cinema space; 'Massenzioland' at the Circus Maximus, a city of cinema with screenings from dusk to dawn; and the 1985 edition focused on the metaphysical landscape of EUR. The program also activated abandoned sites like the Mattatoio in Testaccio, via Sabotino in Prati, Parco della Caffarella, and Villa Torlonia, with installations by architects Franco Purini and Laura Thermes. The 'Teatrino scientifico', partly reconstructed this summer in the Maxxi garden, exemplified the program's relational design, where audiences surrounded the stage. The 'Estate Romana' served as a laboratory for urban experimentation, using temporary events to test permanent changes, such as the pedestrianization of the Colosseum-Forum-Capitoline area. The book highlights how the program reconnected citizens with urban transformation.