Metropoliz in Rome faces eviction deadline as court orders state to pay compensation

The Metropoliz occupied community and open-air museum in Rome faces a new eviction threat after a civil court ruling in March 2023 ordered the Italian state to pay over €6 million in compensation to construction company Webuild (formerly Salini Impregilo) for the failed eviction. The deadline for an agreement is May 11, after which police intervention may be ordered. Metropoliz, located in a former Fiorucci salami factory on Via Prenestina 913, has been occupied since 2009 by the Blocchi Precari Metropolitani and Popica Onlus, housing around 200 people. It is also home to the MAAM (Museum of the Other and Elsewhere), founded in 2011 by curator Giorgio de Finis, featuring over 600 works by 500 artists. The community has proposed UNESCO recognition and is now fighting to keep 50 families housed and the museum open. The Gualtieri administration is considering purchasing the property.