Pulire Roma: Exhibition on Rome's Sanitation History at Archivio Storico Capitolino

The exhibition 'Pulire Roma: Storie di Nettezza Urbana' at the Archivio Storico Capitolino in Rome traces the city's street cleaning and waste management from 1870 to 1955. Curated by Francesca Piazzoni, Dario Pasquini, and Giorgio Di Noto, the show features photographs, documents, letters, and projects from the Archivio Capitolino. It includes Michelangelo Antonioni's 1948 short film 'N.U. – Nettezza Urbana,' owned by Archivio Luce Cinecittà, which offers a lyrical portrait of sanitation workers. The exhibition covers the shift from papal-era contracts to direct municipal management in 1886, the introduction of the first official garbage truck in 1928, and failed attempts to build an incinerator despite a 1904 brochure from Zurich's mayor. It highlights workers' struggles, including 1871 job applications from Risorgimento veterans like Gaetano Ferri and Luigi Cisini, and a 1893 letter from cart driver Raffaele Cardillo fired for agitation. The fascist period saw a return to outsourcing to firms like Elia Federici, Tudini & Talenti, and Romolo Vaselli, while the post-war era faced chaos and illegal dumps. The exhibition runs until May 16.