Rediscovering Rome's Concierge Lodges Through Photography and Architecture

A project by Giulia Carioti and Tommaso Sacconi aims to rediscover the often overlooked charm of Rome's concierge lodges (portinerie). Curated by Andrea Bentivegna, the initiative combines photographic and architectural investigation to highlight the role of porters in Roman apartment buildings. These lodges, designed by architects as integral parts of residential buildings, range from minimalist to monumental, from glass-walled aquariums to cockpit-like cabins. The project also explores the blurred boundary between work and home, exemplified by Luigi Moretti's porter apartment in the 'Casa del Girasole' building at Viale Bruno Buozzi 64, where the only window faces the atrium. Bentivegna notes that Rome's story, as shown in literature and cinema, is told through the eyes of its porters, echoing the late Giorgio Muratore's advice to students: 'ask the porters.' The project will be presented on Thursday, January 10, 2019, at the Centro Studi Giorgio Muratore, the former studio of the professor of contemporary architecture history at Sapienza University of Rome, who died in 2017.