Roma's hidden nature: a jungle of biodiversity and coexistence
The article explores the often-overlooked natural landscape of Rome, highlighting its vast green areas and biodiversity. With 86,000 hectares of green space out of 129,000 total, the city hosts a rich variety of plant and animal species, including a colony of river crabs living beneath the Imperial Fora. The author, Emilia Giorgi, reflects on the coexistence of nature and architecture, citing examples like the Aurelian Walls covered with caper plants and the Colosseum's past as a garden with orchards and grazing sheep. The piece references Antonio Canu's book "Roma Selvatica" and the 2000 exhibition "Frondose arcate: il Colosseo prima dell'archeologia" curated by Italo Insolera and Alessandra Maria Sette. Photographs by Alessandro Imbriaco accompany the text, which was published in Artribune Magazine #69.
Key facts
- Rome has 86,000 hectares of green space out of 129,000 total.
- A colony of river crabs lives beneath the Imperial Fora, possibly since ancient times.
- The Aurelian Walls are covered with caper plants, forming a second organic architecture.
- In the late 18th century, the Colosseum was a garden with fig trees, elms, cherry trees, olive trees, and grazing sheep.
- The exhibition 'Frondose arcate: il Colosseo prima dell'archeologia' was curated by Italo Insolera and Alessandra Maria Sette in 2000.
- Antonio Canu's book 'Roma Selvatica' is referenced.
- Photographs by Alessandro Imbriaco from the series 'Roma' (2018-21) illustrate the article.
- The article was published in Artribune Magazine #69.
Entities
Artists
- Alessandro Imbriaco
- Emilia Giorgi
- Italo Insolera
- Alessandra Maria Sette
- Antonio Canu
- Donna Haraway
- Federico Fellini
Institutions
- Artribune
- MAXXI
- MiBACT
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Colosseum
- Imperial Fora
- Trajan's Markets
- Basilica Ulpia
- Aurelian Walls
- Appian Way
- Trevi Fountain