Collapse of Torre dei Conti prompts call for expert think tank to save Rome's heritage

The collapse of the Torre dei Conti in Rome on 3 November has sparked a debate about the city's approach to preserving its medieval towers. The tower, located in Largo Corrado Ricci, was one of three isolated medieval towers in the historic center, along with the Torre delle Milizie and Torre dei Capocci. It had been used as public offices until 2006 and then abandoned for twenty years, leaving it in poor condition. A restoration and valorization project funded by the PNRR was scheduled for completion in 2026. Critic Ludovico Pratesi argues that Rome's reliance on conservative restoration, especially ahead of jubilees, fails to address overtourism and the lack of diversified cultural offerings, which threaten areas like the Fontana di Trevi-Fori Romani-Pantheon-Musei Vaticani quadrilateral and have transformed Trastevere into an open-air food court. Archaeologist Roberto Menichini of the Soprintendenza Capitolina stated that in Rome, only the remains of the ancient city truly matter. Pratesi calls for a think tank of experts from various generations—archaeologists, art historians, urban planners, contemporary art curators, artists, and writers—to develop contemporary valorization strategies, citing Paris's example after the Notre Dame fire, where a competition was won by Claire Tabouret. He urges the municipality and state to implement open calls and concrete projects to restore symbolic function to monuments.