Roma's MACRO Testaccio rebranded as Mattatoio, sparking outrage

Rome's city council, led by Deputy Mayor Luca Bergamo, has renamed the MACRO Testaccio exhibition pavilions back to 'Mattatoio' (slaughterhouse), erasing the internationally recognized MACRO Testaccio brand. The decision has drawn criticism for celebrating the site's violent past and undermining years of cultural regeneration. The MACRO museum system is now fragmented: the main venue is called 'MACRO Asilo' and currently hosts a poorly attended Pink Floyd exhibition. The Testaccio spaces, now under Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, lack a clear programming strategy, with a June show of three Roman artists that could have fit the old MACRO Testaccio schedule. The move has severed dialogue with neighboring institutions like the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma and Roma Tre's Architecture Faculty. Giorgio De Finis, director of MACRO via Nizza, plans to subdivide interior spaces for artist studios, conflicting with Odile Decq's original design. Daily programming promised for October appears increasingly unlikely. The article criticizes the cultural populism and superficial entertainment focus, citing Paul Valéry's 1935 warning about the obsession with novelty over posterity.